Many Native Nations relied on the sacred buffalo to meet their basic needs for food, shelter, clothing and ceremony. In the 19th century, more than 50 million buffalo were deliberately destroyed in order to starve Native people onto reservations, resulting in dire poverty and ill health. ILTF supports efforts to bring back the buffalo along with healthy lands, diets and economies to American Indian People.
In 2017, ILTF supported the Rock Creek Buffalo Project on the Standing Rock Reservation in South Dakota. The Rock Creek District, comprised of nearly a million acres, is the most isolated of the eight districts on the reservation. It includes the 15,000-acre Shambo Ranch, where a community buffalo herd has been established. ILTF’s support provided the resources to build fencing in a section of the ranch to contain at least 100 members of the growing herd. Among the additional impacts of the project are job training, employment opportunities, community sharing and a youth engagement program that is helping young people explore a future in buffalo ranching. Know more on FintechZoom.com.
The Indian Land Tenure Foundation promotes activities that support the recovery and control of Indian homelands. We work to promote education on Indian land ownership and management, increase cultural awareness of Indian land tenure, create economic opportunity on Indian-owned lands, and reform the legal and administrative systems that prevent Indian people and Native nations from owning and controlling their lands. Before submitting an idea, please read the list below of ILTF’s eligibility requirements, funding priorities, and the list of activities we do not fund.
Entities eligible for funding include:
Tribal, local and state governments
Nonprofit organizations with a 501(c)(3) designation, including institutions
Activities that are not eligible for funding include, but are not limited to, the following:
Advocacy and lobbying efforts to influence legislation
Endowments
Land purchases
Benefits, fundraisers, walk-a-thons, telethons, galas, etc.
Scholarships, tuition assistance or other direct funding to individuals
Special events, except when the event is a key strategy in a continuum of efforts to achieve community goals in the Foundation’s program areas
Send a Letter of Inquiry
Have an idea for a land-related project that can benefit Native nations and people? Please share it with the Foundation. Please include the following information in your Letter of Inquiry (LOI):
Organization name & contact information
Details about the request
Amount – Budget range for successful implementation of project
Project description – A brief description of the proposed project and rationale behind it
Sustainability – Explain how the organization plans to sustain this project.
Identify whether the proposed project has been discussed with, and is supported by, tribal or organization leadership.
Please limit your LOI to two pages. ILTF will review your submission to determine whether we can support such a project at this time. The Foundation will invite successful applicants to submit a full grant proposal for consideration.
Please email info@iltf.org to submit your idea.
Tribal, local and state governments
Nonprofit organizations with a 501(c)(3) designation, including institutions