My Nonprofit Reviews

We have been very honored to be supporters of the First Nations Development Institute. FNDI came to our attention early in the pandemic as an organization gathering funds and granting them to Indigenous tribes and organizations to help weather COVID-19, which impacted Native people disproportionately. As we researched FNDI, we were stunned to realize that they granted funds on a trust basis: they gave the money and trusted that the tribal groups knew best how to help their own communities. What a concept! There were no requirements of big reports documenting how each dollar was spent, justifying why, or creating proof that the money was being used "wisely". So no time and money was wasted in fulfilling such requirements - all resources could be focused on addressing the actual needs. That is so incredibly rare in the nonprofit world!

In the years since we first became involved, we've continued to be impressed with how FNDI is run, the people who work there, and the many projects they support. They have an extensive website filled with information on their projects. Their weekly newsletter is very well-written, with valuable news for both Native and none-Native alike. We've become more involved with issues we've discovered through them, and we continue to learn about both historical and current systems impacting Indigenous people in North America. Most philanthropic organizations appear to be unaware of the great need for financial support of Indigenous communities, which have been, and continue to be marginalized. First Nations Development Institute is vital for bringing resources to bear in addressing those needs. Though we don't have a lot of money to give, we are regular donors and will remain so.

An all-around excellent nonprofit!