Funders can help fuel momentum in Indigenous communities—and we can do more together. In this spirit, we have sparked collaborative engagements through convenings and conversations to unlock relationships and more capital for Indigenous communities to further self-determination and sovereignty.
We are sharing the resources we have co-developed—and continuously fine-tune—with our partners. We also appreciate learning from other funders!
Mobilizing Funders to Support Indigenous Communities
Partners like Saad K’idilyé and other Indigenous initiatives are inspiring funders with their impact and momentum. While we are a relatively small foundation, we helped mobilize $4M in new or deeper funding in 2025 alone.
Our Grantmaking Approach
In our focused grantmaking in Indigenous communities, we engage grantees in nine-year partnerships (see our partnership framework), offer technical assistance, use partner-driven success measures and evaluation, and create shared learning opportunities.
The latter includes our comprehensive and carefully curated site visits. We invite other foundations to review and use our site observation guide, which we modified from a Wildflower Foundation resource used when we went on a tour of a Wildflower School.
As we strive to be a responsive and authentic ally, we prioritize learning—and unlearning—about Indigenous cultures, languages, and ways of knowing. We create an annual learning plan for our staff and board that includes our own efforts and partner engagement.
Listening to partners and ecosystem experts is key. Our shift to impact investing stemmed from conversations with Kathleen Simpson, CEO of The Russell Family Foundation, and the concept of “total resource activation” she promotes. Today, how and where Better Way invests our endowment is as important as our grantmaking.
Partnership Considerations
We follow the lead of our grantee partners, our funding is unrestricted, and these are simply the things we often look at.
Strategic Direction:
new program, direction, or strategy for the organization; expanding our national reach or filling a gap in a region
Ecosystem Alignment:
potential for coordinated funding and support
Long-term Collaboration:
potential for sustained partnerships and integration with larger community efforts
Programmatic Alignment:
effectively fulfills at least one or more Better Way priority, such as language revitalization, talent development, PreK transitions, Truth & Healing, and/or systems change or thought leadership
Sustainability & Dependency:
extent of reliance on Better Way funding, organization budget, and financial health
Long-term Collaboration:
potential for sustained partnerships and integration with larger community efforts
Geography:
operates in an area not currently receiving Better Way funding, prioritizing places where access to philanthropic and/or public funding is a challenge
Design & Innovation:
development of new systems or approaches that strengthen self-determination and sovereignty
Leadership and Community Response and Relationships:
origins and drivers of the work, leadership dynamics, and connection to Tribal governance
Measurable Outcomes:
articulated by partners, outlining what success and impact means to them
CALL OUT
Mobilizing Funders for Saad K’idilyé and Beyond
The Diné phrase—Saad K’idilyé—translates to “The Planting of the Language Seed,” a fitting name for the first Diné language nest immersion program serving families and children, prenatal to Pre-K. Many Saad K’idilyé parents and caretakers did not learn Diné growing up. One remembers adults gossiping in Diné—so she and the other Navajo children would not understand. Now, her son does the same with his grandmother!
With 7,500-9,000 hours of immersion in the first five years, children at Saad K’idilyé—a Better Way partner—are becoming first-language Diné speakers. In January 2026, Better Way and W.K. Kellogg Foundation hosted a funder dinner, introducing the 30 attendees to the Diné language nest. Two months later, Saad K’idilyé received a first-time $25,000 grant from a Donor Advised Fund.
Board Learning Plan
Our annual learning plan outlines opportunities to dive deeper into Indigenous ways of knowing and best practices in Programs, Finance & Investment, and Governance/operations.
We also explore writing and films by Indigenous creators and examine the art of storytelling in general to build our understanding of community/culture. Below is a sample of an annual learning plan. We also host board retreats annually at a partner site and include immersive experiences to learn from Indigenous leaders in topics such as food sovereignty, cultural practices, Truth and Healing, language revitalization, and more. We also invite board members to reflect on the experiences and recap our learning activities for the year:
- Better Way Board Retreat: Taking our learning to Rapid City and Pine Ridge Reservation
- Board Retreat Reflections (Part II): Coming together to strengthen Indigenous schools and children’s futures
- Happy Holidays: Gratitude and reflections as we close out 2025
Program
Explore benefits & drawbacks of scaling & replicating curriculum & materials for Indigenous Early Childhood Development & American Indian Catholic Schools Network schools (What does scaling and replication look like in the context of Indigenous education?)
Governance/Operations
- TBD regarding strengthening links between committees and Board – exploring best practices with the MN Council on Foundations
- Monitor updates on best practices (governance, any tax reforms)
Finance & Investment
- Current & historical emphasis on financing and investing alternatives
- Continued discussion on “do no harm” & the spectrum between that & social impact
- Deepen understanding of social impact in the context of Native CDFIs & catalytic capital
- Align on Better Way’s tolerance for/spectrum of risk (including spectrum of risk assessments
Community/Culture
- Read a book from an Indigenous author and/or watch a film and discuss/reflect together (e.g., ‘Where they Last Saw Her’ by Marcie Rendon, Sugar Cane, Remaining Native, or Gather)
- A storytelling workshop facilitated by Daniel French to gain hands-on experience crafting narratives around our work
Join Our Funder Mobilization Effort
When less than 0.5% of U.S. philanthropic dollars support Native-led organizations, there is a significant opportunity to do more—together. We are committed to boosting that number—and we invite you to join us.
Our next event—the Santa Fe Funder Gathering—is an intentionally small, immersive gathering during the 104th Annual Santa Fe Indian Market (August 13-15). Designed to mobilize foundations to start or deepen their support of Indigenous communities, the event brings attendees into a rich learning environment with leading Native voices across food sovereignty, arts and culture, education, impact investing, and more—pairing learning with action.
Attend one of our funder gatherings: We host several events per year, ranging from small evening gatherings over dinner to multi-day immersion learning experiences.
Meet with our executive director: Better Way’s executive director, Nicholas Banovetz, regularly connects with foundation leaders interested in investing in Indigenous communities.
Subscribe to our LinkedIn newsletter: Learn about the momentum happening in Indigenous communities through our partner stories and funder mobilization efforts.
60 South 6th Street, Suite 2950
Minneapolis, MN 55402
info@betterwayfoundation.org
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