Native Nonprofit Day: Give Native, Give Now

Published May 13, 2025    By Joshua Arce

May 16 is Native Nonprofit Day, a time to support Native-led charities. As new federal changes affect both Tribes and Native nonprofits alike, PWNA is encouraging you to give to Native-led charities. This special day is organized by the Native Ways Federation, and its theme is the power of 10 or unity. The Power of 10 campaign reminds everyone – whether a foundation, corporation, ally or donor – they can help Native communities thrive.

The U.S. government has treaty obligations to provide certain resources for education, healthcare, and other needs to federally recognized tribes. However, cuts to federal funding and staff will affect Native communities. These cuts will hurt education, healthcare and food security and make life harder in Tribal communities.

On top of that, Native causes have been underfunded for decades. Native Americans make up only three percent (3%) of the U.S. population but face some of the biggest inequalities in the country. In addition to federal underfunding, less than half of one percent of charitable donations go to Native causes. You can help change this.

Why the Low Giving for Native Causes?

You might wonder why Native causes don’t get more donations. There are a few reasons:

• Many foundations and corporations don’t have Native staff on their grant or social responsibility teams.
• They often don’t know how to work with Tribes or understand their cultures.
• Lack of awareness to the issues, barriers, and obstacles faced by Tribal communities and how their support can help
• A willingness to be a transformative partner

But here at PWNA, we see Native-led nonprofits are making a difference every day. For example, PWNA has a Native CEO and a majority of Native Board members, all experienced professionals. We focus on helping reservation communities with issues such as food insecurity, safe drinking water and education barriers. We also connect Tribal communities to outside resources for greater impact.

Our reservation partners know the best solutions to their problems, but they often don’t have the resources to carry them out. That’s why it’s important for non-Native organizations to be more NativeAware^® of needs and challenges.

How You Can Change the Status Quo

So, PWNA is encouraging foundations, corporations, allies and donors to get involved on Native Nonprofit Day. Here’s how you can help:  

• Sign up for email updates to learn more about the challenges in Tribal communities and spread the word.
• Make sure your charitable giving supports Native-led causes, and encourage others to do the same.
• If you’re an individual, donate by May 16, increase your monthly donation by $10 a month, or start a peer-to-peer campaign.

We can’t wait to see the positive change you’ll help create on Native Nonprofit Day and beyond!