Reclaiming Relationships
Reclaiming Relationships:
Why Trust is the Foundation of Indigenous Philanthropy
Across Native Hawaiian, Native American, and Alaska Native communities, powerful work is being done every day to protect land, revitalize language, heal communities, and shape futures grounded in cultural values. Indigenous-led nonprofit organizations are leading this work not as service providers, but as caretakers of ancestral knowledge, community wellbeing, and environmental stewardship.
And yet, these organizations remain dramatically underfunded. In the United States, Indigenous-led nonprofits receive less than 0.4% of institutional philanthropic dollars a staggering statistic given their outsized impact in some of the most pressing areas of our time, from climate change to education to health equity.
Why the gap? It's not because the solutions don’t exist. It’s because trust doesn’t.
THE MISSING INGREDIENT ISN’T MONEY IT’S RELATIONSHIP
In our work building Shared Stewardship Solutions, we’ve listened to Indigenous nonprofits across the continent. What we heard was not just a need for funding but a need for funders who are willing to listen before they lead, to build relationships before making investments, and to honor community-defined success, not just metrics on a spreadsheet.
On the other side, many philanthropic institutions express a real desire to support Indigenous communities but lack the tools, frameworks, or cultural guidance to do so without unintentionally replicating colonial dynamics. Proposals arrive late in the process. Relationships are shallow. Trust is underdeveloped. The result is a system where incredible Indigenous-led work is left unsupported not because it isn’t good enough, but because it isn’t understood.
ENTER SHARED STEWARDSHIP SOLUTIONS
Shared Stewardship Solutions will be a digital platform designed to change that dynamic. We’re not just building tech we’re building the digital infrastructure for a relational approach to resourcing. One where Indigenous nonprofits and funders can meet early, share values, and co-create solutions in a space grounded in reciprocity and respect.
It’s not about quick wins. It’s about long-term movement. The platform includes features like:
Values-based matchmaking between nonprofits and funders
“Solution Hui” spaces for collaborative design and co-learning
Community-defined success tracking, not externally imposed evaluations
All of this is built with guidance from Indigenous leaders and practitioners because we believe that the process must reflect the values of the people it serves.
BUILDING TRUST IS SLOW WORK BUT IT’S SACRED WORK
We often say that “relationship is the strategy.” That’s not just a slogan, it’s a shift in worldview. Shared Stewardship Solutions is an invitation to slow down, to build with care, and to remember that the most meaningful impact starts with genuine connection.
If we want to move from transactional philanthropy to transformative resourcing, we have to start with trust. Not performative partnerships. Not rushed funding cycles. But real, honest, long-term relationships built in the spirit of shared stewardship.
The work is already happening in Indigenous communities. It always has been. What’s missing is the infrastructure to meet them there not with a checkbook first, but with open ears, humility, and a willingness to walk the path together.
We’re building that path. Let’s walk it together.