WEAVING KINSHIP GRANT GUIDELINES
Call for Letters of Intent (LOIs)
Weaving Kinship Overview
Native Arts and culture are the heartbeats to a thriving healthy community, and have the power to transform communities by reviving cultural practices, building kinship, and connecting peoples to their language and culture. The Weaving Kinship Grant program aims to support organizations that First Peoples Fund has not previously partnered with, weaving new relationships and strengthening kinship.
The Weaving Kinship Grant Program offers a one-year $75,000 grant to ten Native Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), community development, cultural arts, or language revitalization organizations.
The Weaving Kinship Grant Program provides the resources necessary to uplift Native artists and strengthen the arts within their communities. The program aims to enhance the Indigenous Arts Ecology (IAE) by drawing on ancestral wisdom and knowledge, while nurturing innovation and creating opportunities for future generations of artists. In addition to funding, the Weaving Kinship grant program will collaborate with grantee partners to identify non-financial support that will strengthen their programs and promote long-term sustainability.
ELIGIBILITY
- Native-led Native Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), community development, arts, cultural arts, or language revitalization organizations.
- Lead applicants of a collective must be at least 18 years of age at the time of application.
- Applicants must reside and be based within the U.S.
- Applicants who reside outside of the U.S. are ineligible to apply.
- Applicants must be an enrolled member of, or provide proof of lineal descendancy from, a U.S. federally-recognized or U.S. state-recognized tribe, or be able to provide proof of ancestry as an Alaska Native or Native Hawaiian.
- For more information about acceptable documents, please click here.
- Applicants may not be enrolled in any academic, degree-conferring program.
- Previous and current Native Arts Ecology Building (NAEB) grantees are not eligible. This program is designed for organizations not yet supported by First Peoples Fund.
PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS
- Have a demonstrated history of providing art-related services and programs
- Demonstrate that the project will have an impact on Native artists’ careers or the local community.
- Learning Journey: If selected, grantees will have the option to participate in an in-person co-visioning session in the early stages of the grant. First Peoples Fund Program Manager and Site Advisor may visit to learn what additional support may be offered to ensure the success of the organization's goals and outcomes.
SELECTION PROCESS
Through a two-stage application and review process, FPF will award ten (10) one year $75,000 grants to Native-led Native Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), community development, arts, cultural arts, and/or language revitalization organizations.
Stage 1: Open call for Letters of Interest (LOI) from organizations that meet eligibility requirements. Following the submission of LOIs, FPF will internally review and advance those that best fit the purpose of the Weaving Kinship Grant.
Stage 2: If selected in Stage 1, an invitation to complete a full application will be sent to the applicant. Based on the averaged application rating, the review committee convenes to deliberate. Final decisions are made based on panelist recommendations, available funding, and any relevant funding restrictions.
TO APPLY
Deadline to apply (EXTENDED): Wednesday, July 2nd, 2025, 6pm MDT (Original due date was Wednesday, June 18th)
A completed LOI application includes an Application submission in Submittable. Applications sent over email will not be considered.
To see an overview of the Stage 1 - LOI Application, please click here.
Organization Information:
- Legal Name of Organization
- Street Address
- City
- State
- Zip Code
- Organization website
- Main contact for application
- Main contact email
- Main contact phone number
- Social Media Handles
Organization Overview:
Organization Overview (150 words): Provide a brief overview of the organization’s mission and history. And, list any significant changes that have occurred within your organization in the past year.
Founding Year: Year the organization formed
LOI Narrative Questions:
- How has your organization contributed to the development of the Indigenous Arts Ecology (IAE) in your community (with past projects)? (150 Words)
- How will this grant further support and strengthen your organization’s future growth? (150 Words)
- What activities do you hope to undertake to build the IAE in your region that would support artist entrepreneurship, ancestral wisdom and knowledge, nurture innovation and/or create opportunities for future generations of artists? (150 Words)
- How does your organization support artists and culture bearers to succeed? (i.e. providing funding, professional development, networking opportunities or physical spaces) (150 Words)
- How does your organization build relationships with artists and culture bearers in your community? How do you sustain and retain those relationships? (150 Words)
- Provide a list of your organization’s leadership and staff, including their tribal affiliation and a brief description of their background working in and with Native communities. (150 Words)
SELECTION ANNOUNCEMENT: Applicants will be notified if they advance to submit a full application in July 2025.
QUESTIONS?
Contact Bridget Skenadore, Indigenous Arts Ecology Program Manager, with any questions by calling (720) 263-0728, or via email at: bridget@firstpeoplesfund.org.
ROOTED PATHWAYS GRANT GUIDELINES
Rooted Pathways Overview
Rooted Pathways is a program that aims to provide resources and stability to an ecosystem of Native arts and cultural organizations through unrestricted general operating support, empowering them to define and advance their own organizational well-being.
The Rooted Pathways offers a one-year $55,000 grant to nine Native-led arts organizations, businesses, and/or artist collectives.
By investing in organizational well-being, Rooted Pathways helps ensure that grantee partners have strong, healthy systems in place—ones that can sustain and uplift Native artists, culture bearers, and Indigenous arts, contributing to the growth of the Indigenous Arts Ecology.
The general operating grant is designed to help organizations deepen their alignment with their mission and vision—strengthening their roots, fostering growth, and supporting their journey toward becoming thriving, resilient organizations. If selected, organizations will be required to submit an Interim and Final report. Learning Cohort participation is also a feature of this funding program.
This funding program is a part of the Wallace Foundation’s two-three year $36 Million Dollar Advancing Well-Being in the Arts Program.
ELIGIBILITY
- Native-led arts organizations/ businesses/collectives (Non-profit, For Profit, LLCs, etc.) with budgets under $500,000.
- Serves US-based artists and culture bearers who are members of a U.S. federally-recognized or U.S. state-recognized tribe, Alaska Native or Native Hawaiian.
- Organizations/business/collectives must have existed for a minimum of two years, though formal legal status of the organization may have developed/changed during this time. Two years of activities must be demonstrated.
- Lead applicants of a collective must be at least 18 years of age at the time of application.
- Must reside and be based within the 50 U.S. States, the District of Columbia, and/or U.S. territories and other U.S. jurisdictions.
- Leadership of the organization must include an enrolled member of, or provide proof of lineal descent from, a U.S. federally-recognized or U.S. state-recognized tribe, or be able to provide proof of ancestry as an Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or First Nations (must be a U.S. Citizen).
- Applicants may not be enrolled in any academic, degree-conferring program.
- If you are a previous grantee with First Peoples Fund (FPF), you must have submitted a final report for any previously awarded FPF Grants.
- Applicants may not have received Wallace Foundation awards from other participating organizations of Advancing Well-Being in the Arts Initiative. While applying to multiple participating organizations is permitted, recipients may only be awarded one grant through this joint funding initiative.
SELECTION PROCESS
- Program staff will conduct a technical review of applications for program requirements and eligibility.
- The final number of grants awarded is determined based on total available funding.
- Final award decisions are based on review committee recommendations and any relevant funding restrictions.
SELECTION ANNOUNCEMENT: Applicants will be notified in July 2025
TO APPLY
Deadline to Apply (EXTENDED): Wednesday, July 2nd, 2025, 6pm MDT (Original due date was June 20, 2025, 6pm MDT
A Rooted Pathways complete application includes:
Organization Information
- Legal Name of Organization
- Director/Lead Artist Legal Name
- Phone Number
- Address
- Website
- Social media handles
Budget and History:
Organization Overview (300 words): Provide a brief overview of the organization’s mission and history.
Operating Budget: What is your annual budget (total revenue and expense)? Organizations must have budgets $500,000 and under.
Financial Statements: Upload the applicable financial document for your organization. For example:
- Estimated budget for 2025
- Budget for 2024
- Budgets for last three years (2025, 2024, 2023)
- Only if the average of three years is needed to demonstrate a budget under $500,000
Founding Year: Year the organization formed
Narrative Questions:
- Describe your work and how it serves your community. (150 words)
- Describe your community, and how your organization and leadership reflects your community.(150 words)
- How has your work sought to advance well-being in your community? (150 words)
- What values drive your work and how will these funds advance your work? (150 words)
- Highlight how your organization’s activities will contribute to the broader cultural significance it will have within the field. (150 Words)
TIMELINE
- Application Opens: June 2, 2025, 8am MST
- Application Closes: June 20, 2025, 6pm MST
SELECTION ANNOUNCEMENT: Applicants will be notified in July 2025
QUESTIONS?
Contact Bridget Skenadore, Indigenous Arts Ecology Program Manager, with any questions by calling (720) 263-0728, or via email at: bridget@firstpeoplesfund.org.
2026 CULTURAL CAPITAL FELLOWSHIP GUIDELINES
The Cultural Capital (CC) Fellowship Program strengthens the Collective Spirit of artists who perpetuate generosity, wisdom and integrity within their communities as they further their important cultural work. The fellowship is intended for Native artists who have strong community ties and are dedicated to preserving and transmitting ancestral traditions.
Cultural Capital Fellowships offer $10,000 grants to artists and culture bearers dedicated to community outreach and cultural preservation through the arts.
Cultural Capital Fellowships will be awarded to artists who:
- Are active within and connected to their Native or Tribal community.
- Demonstrate a commitment to passing on ancestral knowledge and practices within Native communities.
- Are actively working to sustain cultural sharing as a way of life within Native communities.
TIMELINE
- Application Opens: Monday, June 9, 2025 at 8:00 am MDT
- Application Closes: Wednesday, July 16, 2025 at 6:00 pm MDT
- All applicants will be notified if they have been invited to participate in the 2026 CC Fellowship Program by (or on) Monday, December 1, 2025.
- 2026 CC Fellowship recipients will be publicly announced in January 2026.
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
- Proposals: For this self-directed fellowship, applicants are asked to create a proposal centered around two (2) primary goals that they would like to accomplish during their fellowship year. They should be able to describe the activities, resources, and costs related to achieving their primary goals.
- Funding: 90% (or $9,000) will be disbursed once initial paperwork and orientation measures are completed. The remaining 10% (or $1,000) will be disbursed in December 2026 upon completion of closing measures.
- Convening: Selected artists should expect to attend an annual fellowship convening where all FPF fellows are brought together for a multi-day event. This is normally held in the spring. Past convening locations have included Santa Fe, Phoenix, and Minneapolis.
- Reporting: Fellows are asked to complete Orientation Measures and Closing Measures near the beginning and end of their fellowship year and can anticipate having at least two calls or virtual meetings with program staff to discuss their fellowship activities.
- Resources: While this is a self-directed fellowship, program staff is available to offer support and guidance upon request, and can potentially provide fellows with internal FPF professional development materials if applicable, as well as direct them to additional external online resources. Occasional virtual presentations and networking opportunities may also be offered during the fellowship year.
- Award year: If selected, all fellowship proposal activities must take place between January 1, 2026 - December 31, 2026.
- Number of Fellowships: The number of CC fellowships awarded each year may vary based on available funding. In 2025, eleven CC fellows were selected from over 60 applications received.
ELIGIBILITY
Applicants for the Cultural Capital Fellowship must meet the following criteria:
- An artist or culture bearer who lives within or is clearly active with and connected to their Native community.
- Must be at least 18 years of age at the time of application.
- Must reside and be based within the U.S.
- Applicants who reside outside of the U.S. are ineligible to apply.
- Applicants must be an enrolled member of, or provide proof of lineal descendancy from, a U.S. federally-recognized or U.S. state-recognized tribe, or be able to provide proof of ancestry as an Alaska Native or Native Hawaiian.
- For more information about acceptable documents, please click here.
- Applicants may not be enrolled in any academic, degree seeking program.
- Native artists working in a wide variety of mediums, including traditional and contemporary, are welcome to apply.
- Recipients of any 2025 First Peoples Fund (FPF) fellowships are not eligible to apply for the 2026 CC Fellowship.
- Previous grantees with any First Peoples Fund programs must have submitted a final report for any awarded FPF grants.
APPLICATION PROCESS
A best practice when applying for any opportunity is to read through all of the information provided before starting to fill out an application.
Applications must be completed online in Submittable and received before the listed due date and time. Applications sent via email or postal mail will not be considered.
For an overview of the application questions and attached files please click here.
Below is a list of the files you will need to upload for a completed application:
- Proof of Tribal Affiliation
- Reference Letter
- Artist Resume or CV
- Up to 8 Artwork Samples
- Artwork Sample Descriptions* (see note below)
- Artist Photo or Headshot
*UPDATE - The Artwork Sample Descriptions is no longer required as a separate document. Instead, applicants will be asked to enter four pieces of information about each file uploaded: Title, Medium, Year, and Description.
SELECTION PROCESS
- Program staff will conduct a technical review of applications.
- A national selection committee will review applications that meet program requirements and eligibility.
- Committee members are typically Native artists and/or culture bearers, past CC Fellowship alumni, and other members of the Native arts and culture field.
- The final number of ABL and CC Fellowships awarded is determined based on total available funding and number of applicants.
- Final CC Fellowship award decisions are based on selection committee recommendations and any relevant funding restrictions.
SELECTION ANNOUNCEMENT: Applicants will be notified in December 2025
QUESTIONS?
Contact Fox Spears via email at: fox@firstpeoplesfund.org
First Peoples Fund Overview
Founded in 1995, First Peoples Fund is guided by our belief in Collective Spirit. Collective Spirit is a commitment to nurture our shared humanity and honor our connection to one another, the lands around us, those who came before us, and the spirit of all things. The Collective Spirit moves each of us to stand up and make a difference, pass on ancestral knowledge, and extend a hand of generosity. The Collective Spirit is essential to sustaining the cultural fabric of Native communities and our ability to thrive. Our mission is to honor and support the Collective Spirit of First Peoples artists and culture bearers. Our work recognizes the power of art and culture to bring about positive change in Native communities, beginning with individual artists and their families.
2026 NATIVE PERFORMING ARTS FELLOWSHIP GUIDELINES
The Native Performing Arts (NPA) Fellowship is a year-long program that helps Native Artists create, practice and perform within the Performing Arts (theater, music, dance, live performance, etc.). The program provides them with network-building, professional development training and funding to work toward building a sustainable career within the Performing Arts landscape.
The NPA Fellowship offers a one-year $10,000 grant to Native performing artists. The program's purpose is to develop independent, satisfied, and credible Native performing artists, who are generous in spirit and dedicated to cultivating ways that grow their artistic knowledge and skills within their performance craft. Applications are open to Native performing artists at all stages of their career.
The NPA Fellowship is not a project based grant. Proposed budgets should be grounded in needs to further artistic growth or/and achieve artistic career goals rather than providing financial support toward a new or existing creative project. Developing or completing a solo creative project can be a component of your proposal, but should not be the primary goal or outcome of your fellowship year.
- Consider what resources you will need in order to start or grow your artistic career or skill set, and what you will be able to accomplish with funding.
- Any proposals for performance-based project(s) that involve multiple performers or require high production demands are not a focus of this fellowship.
Examples of artistic growth needs or career goals can include (but are not limited to):
- taking classes, seminars, workshops, private lessons with professional experts or coaches in any field of performing arts, consulting legal, and financial professionals (agent, publicist, tour manager, etc.), creating a website to showcase your performance work, getting professional headshots, building a marketing strategy for your performances, or strengthening relationships with cultural bearers and teachers to maintain cultural knowledge and values.
If you have a project/production in need of financial support, we encourage you to apply for the 2026 Native Performing Arts Live Production Grant.
FELLOWSHIP INFORMATION
Grant amount: $10,000.
- 90% (or $9,000) will be disbursed once initial paperwork and orientation measures are completed.
- The remaining 10% (or $1,000) will be disbursed in December 2026 upon completion of closing measures.
Fellowship window: January 1, 2026 - December 31, 2026.
Selected artists should expect to attend an annual fellowship convening where all FPF fellows are brought together for a multi-day event. This is normally held in the spring. Past convening locations have included Santa Fe, Phoenix, and Minneapolis.
ELIGIBILITY
- Applicants must be at least 18 years of age at the time of application.
- Applicants must reside and be based within the U.S.
- Applicants who reside outside of the U.S. are ineligible to apply.
- Applicants must be an enrolled member of, or provide proof of lineal descendancy from, a U.S. federally-recognized or U.S. state-recognized tribe, or be able to provide proof of ancestry as an Alaska Native or Native Hawaiian.
- For more information about acceptable documents, please click here.
- Applicants may not be enrolled in any academic, degree-granting program.
- Native practitioners of all performing arts mediums, both traditional and contemporary, are welcome to apply. This includes theater, music, dance, live performance, spoken word and more.
- Artists whose primary mediums are not within the performing arts field are not
eligible to apply for the
NPA Fellowship.
- Any performance based project(s) that involves multiple performers or requires high production
demands will not be eligible.
- Activities that are part of the applicant's coursework at an institution of higher learning will not be
considered, i.e. senior or thesis exhibitions, juried student shows, etc.
- Film projects, short or feature length, are not eligible at this time.
- If you received a Performing Artist fellowship, Artist in Business Leadership or Cultural Capital fellowship in 2025, you will not be eligible to apply for the 2026 NPA Fellowship. Any previous fellows must wait a year before applying to any First Peoples Fund (FPF) fellowship programs.
- If you are a previous grantee with any First Peoples Fund (FPF program), you must have submitted a final report for any previously awarded FPF Grants.
APPLICATION PROCESS
This is a one-year program and we expect that your application clearly details your proposed artistic development within a one-year timeframe.
A completed Fellowship application includes an Application submission in Submittable. Applications sent over email will not be considered.
Below are the following components of a completed Fellowship application.
Application Information
Reference Letter
About the Artist - Narrative Questions
Artistic Career Goals, Description and Activities
Supporting Documents (uploads)
To view an overview of the NPA Fellowship Application, please click here.
TIMELINE
- Application Opens: Monday, June 9th, 8am MST
- Application Closes: Wednesday, July 16th, 6pm MST
SELECTION ANNOUNCEMENT: Applicants will be notified in December 2025
QUESTIONS?
Contact Natalie Benally, Program Manager of Performing Arts, with any questions by calling 505-278-0412, or via email at: natalie@firstpeoplesfund.org
2026 ARTIST IN BUSINESS LEADERSHIP FELLOWSHIP GUIDELINES
The Artist in Business Leadership (ABL) Fellowship is a yearlong program that helps independent Native artists leverage art-making as a way to build or grow a business to support themselves and their families. Participants in this self-directed fellowship are offered grant funding for business needs, network-building opportunities, and professional development guidance.
As part of the application process, artists submit a proposal of what, if selected, they would accomplish during their fellowship year that will help them launch, grow, and/or sustain their arts business. Artists accepted into the program receive a $10,000 grant to be used towards their proposed activities during their fellowship year.
Applications are open to artists at all stages of their career, and all art mediums are eligible for this fellowship with the exception of live performing arts. The Native Performing Arts Fellowship program is the appropriate opportunity for artists who regularly perform live as part of their arts business or creative practice (this includes theater, music, dance, live performance, spoken word and more).
Artist in Business Leadership Fellowships will be awarded to applicants who:
- Show a commitment to increasing their skills and knowledge in support of their arts-based business or creative practice.
- Have demonstrated an ability to set and accomplish goals related to their arts-based business or creative practice.
- Desire access to new resources, markets, and/or funding opportunities in order to strengthen their business and/or further their economic self-sufficiency.
TIMELINE
- Application Opens: Monday, June 9, 2025 at 8:00 am MDT
- Application Closes: Wednesday, July 16, 2025 at 6:00 pm MDT
- All applicants will be notified if they have been invited to participate in the 2026 ABL Fellowship Program by (or on) Monday, December 1, 2025.
- 2026 ABL Fellowship recipients will be publicly announced in January 2026.
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
- Proposals: For this self-directed fellowship, applicants are asked to create a proposal centered around two (2) primary goals that they would like to accomplish during their fellowship year. They will be asked to describe the activities, resources, and costs related to achieving these primary goals.
- Funding: 90% (or $9,000) will be disbursed once initial paperwork and orientation measures are completed. The remaining 10% (or $1,000) will be disbursed in December 2026 upon completion of closing measures.
- Convening: Selected artists should expect to attend an annual fellowship convening where all FPF fellows are brought together for a multi-day event. This is normally held in the spring. Past convening locations have included Santa Fe, Phoenix, and Minneapolis.
- Reporting: Fellows are asked to complete Orientation Measures and Closing Measures at the beginning and end of their fellowship year and can anticipate having at least two calls or virtual meetings with program staff to discuss their fellowship activities.
- Resources: While this is a self-directed fellowship, program staff is available to offer support and guidance upon request, and can potentially provide fellows with internal FPF professional development materials if applicable, as well as direct them to additional external online resources. Occasional virtual presentations and networking opportunities may also be offered during the fellowship year.
- Fellowship window: If selected, all fellowship proposal activities must take place between January 1, 2026 - December 31, 2026.
- Number of Fellowships: The number of ABL fellowships awarded each year may vary based on available funding. In 2025, nineteen ABL fellows were selected from over 130 applications received.
ELIGIBILITY
- A Native artist who either owns or is launching an active art-centered business, or who is seeking to grow and improve business aspects of their income-producing creative practice.
- Must be at least 18 years of age at the time of application.
- Must reside and be based within the U.S.
- Applicants who reside outside of the U.S. are ineligible to apply.
- Applicants must be an enrolled member of, or provide proof of lineal descendancy from, a U.S. federally-recognized or U.S. state-recognized tribe, or be able to provide proof of ancestry as an Alaska Native or Native Hawaiian.
- For more information about acceptable documents, please click here.
- Applicants may not be enrolled in any academic, degree seeking program.
- Native artists working in a wide variety of mediums are welcome to apply.
- Artists whose primary mediums are within the performing arts field should apply to
the Native Performing Arts (NPA) Fellowship. This includes theater, music, dance,
live performance, spoken word and more.
- Recipients of any 2025 First Peoples Fund (FPF) fellowships are not eligible to apply for the 2026 ABL Fellowship.
- Previous grantees with any First Peoples Fund programs must have submitted a final report for any awarded FPF grants.
APPLICATION PROCESS
A best practice when applying for any opportunity is to read through all of the information provided before starting to fill out an application.
Applications must be completed online in Submittable and received before the listed due date and time. Applications sent via email or postal mail will not be considered.
For an overview of the application questions and attached files please click here.
Below is a list of the files you will need to upload for a completed application:
- Proof of Tribal Affiliation
- Reference Letter
- Artist Resume or CV
- Up to 8 Artwork Samples
- Artwork Sample Descriptions* (see note below)
- Artist Photo or Headshot
*UPDATE - The Artwork Sample Descriptions is no longer required as a separate document. Instead, applicants will be asked to enter four pieces of information about each file uploaded: Title, Medium, Year, and Description.
SELECTION PROCESS
- Program staff will conduct a technical review of applications.
- A national selection committee will review applications that meet program requirements and eligibility.
- Committee members are typically Native artists and/or culture bearers, past ABL Fellowship alumni, and other members of the Native arts and culture field.
- The final number of ABL and CC Fellowships awarded is determined based on total available funding and number of applicants.
- Final ABL Fellowship award decisions are based on selection committee recommendations and any relevant funding restrictions.
SELECTION ANNOUNCEMENT: Applicants will be notified in December 2025
QUESTIONS?
Contact Fox Spears via email at: fox@firstpeoplesfund.org