Did you know that, according to Candid, less than 1% of philanthropic funds go to Indigenous-led organizations?
Today, we recognize and celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day to honor Indigenous people and commemorate their histories and cultures. Indigenous Peoples’ Day is celebrated across the United States on the second Monday in October. President Joe Biden officially recognized it as a federal holiday in 2021 through a proclamation.
This holiday has gained popularity as a replacement for Columbus Day. To take part in celebrating this day, we are amplifying nonprofit partners in San Diego County that provide many supportive services and lift up the Indigenous community.
Helping Local Tribes Build Stronger Food Systems
San Diego County has the largest number of tribal governments and reservations in the United States, with 18 tribal reservations and four tribal nations – the Kumeyaay, Luiseño, Cupeño, and Cahuilla – represented across the region.
In February 2024, SDF, the San Diego Women’s Foundation, and the Avila Fund teamed up to award four $15,000 grants, totaling $60,000, to organizations supporting local tribal communities in building healthy, sustainable, and culturally relevant food systems.
Each of these four nonprofits received a $15,000 unrestricted grant, allowing them to use the funds where they’re needed most:
- Campo Band of Mission Indians is a resilient, Native American community descended from the Kumeyaay Nation that plans to develop and launch a community outreach and education program centered on the importance of clean, safe drinking water and leverage additional funding for future improvements.
- Climate Science Alliance – Tribal Working Group is a climate collaboration for the lands and cultures of Southern California’s tribes, with projects focused on advancing Indigenous climate resilience, adaptation, and/or environmental health for the collective community, including food sovereignty.
- Indigenous Regeneration has invested $1.5 million, revitalized 27 acres of native ecosystems, planted 5,000+ native plants, and created two outdoor education campuses, including a Tribal Farm School, since its founding in 2017.
- Southern Indian Health Council Inc. is a Native American nonprofit organization committed to protecting and improving the physical, mental, and spiritual health of the local American Indian community by offering medical, dental, pharmacy, social, and behavioral health services, in addition to meal deliveries, produce boxes and a shelf-stable pantry.
These grants represent a collaborative investment in fighting food insecurity, poverty and diet-related diseases in our local tribal communities.
Building Health Equity
“Our partners throughout the region are working with expecting mothers and their babies to address this and similar disparities in local Black and Native American communities,” said Pamela Gray Payton, Vice President, Chief Impact & Partnerships Officer at SDF.
In March 2024, SDF awarded $250,000 to 10 local nonprofits through our Early Childhood Initiative to support parents of young children in an effort to bolster birth equity in the region. Two of these grantees serve San Diego’s Native American community, which reflects our commitment to addressing health disparities with underserved populations.
- Indian Health Council Inc. and its “My Two Aunties” Tribal Family Services (TFS) program supports young children 0-5 and their families, with a focus on providing breastfeeding support to young mothers to decrease health disparities.
- Southern Indian Health Council to educate service providers in evidence-based therapeutic modalities recognized by the County of San Diego Child Welfare Services that can be used with parents and young children to increase culturally relevant education and resources to new parents/caregivers.
Through these programs and the dedicated efforts of our community partners, we are making strides toward addressing birth inequities and supporting the well-being of families across San Diego County. By working together, we can amplify our impact and build a healthier and more inclusive future for all.
Impact Through Collaboration
Beyond food systems and birth equity efforts, San Diego Foundation continues to support projects that empower Indigenous communities in other important areas, such as education and coastal resilience.
- A 2024 Level Up SD partner, Uniting Natives Culturally and Intertribally Inc. (UNCI) introduced students to the rich depth of Indigenous wisdom, culture and practices from across the Americas through a unique cultural program.
- 2024 Binational Resilience Initiative partners, UNCI and Instituto de Planeacion Ambiental y Calidad de Vida AC are leading a binational Indigenous project that will reconstruct the ancestral vision of the Kumeyaay people’s use of the coastal zone. The project is based on participatory planning techniques with the San Antonio Nécua Indigenous community located near the Valle de Guadalupe in Baja, California.
- A 2024 Community Food Grant Program partner, Indigenous organization ‘ataaxum Pomkwaan (meaning “For the People”) provides community resources centered around healing and improved mental health for the continued survival of California’s Native and Indigenous peoples, their languages, customs and histories.
These initiatives exemplify how San Diegans can uplift Indigenous voices and support their communities through education, resilience and cultural preservation.
They also align with SDF’s vision for just, equitable and resilient communities.
