Responsive Grants
Indigenous knowledge systems are the source of Native identities, community, and sovereignty, which persist contemporarily and have throughout time immemorial. However, institutional knowledge spaces traditional to colonial America have historically excluded and undermined Indigenous knowledge leaders and makers in their spaces. This includes the extraction of sacred Indigenous knowledge systems for the benefit of growing institutional knowledge without consideration or care for the communities they research.
Henry Luce Foundation invests in Indigenous knowledge leaders, makers, and organizations to help contribute the human and cultural resources Native America needs to thrive. By supporting community-led spaces across Indigenous communities in the United States, our goal is to help deepen networks of knowledge makers and leaders at the source of where Indigenous knowledge is created and perpetuated.
Apply for a grant(this link opens in new window)Work We Support
The Indigenous Knowledge Initiative supports individuals and organizations that advance Indigenous knowledge systems and Native voices through avenues of policy and philanthropy across diverse American institutions.
How It Works
Those interested in applying for a grant can submit a concept note through our online portal at any time. We do not typically fund film or documentary projects, vehicle purchases, or capital campaigns.
Apply for a grant(this link opens in new window)Luce Indigenous Knowledge Fellowship
In addition to direct grantmaking, the Henry Luce Foundation and First Nations Development Institute created the Luce Indigenous Knowledge Fellowship in 2018.
The Indigenous Knowledge Fellowship is an annual program funded by Luce and administered by First Nations that supports up to 10 knowledge leaders who utilize different modes of expression in communicating their knowledge and skills to produce their work. The fellowship supports and convenes knowledge holders and knowledge makers who embody exceptional creativity and critical thinking. We encourage individuals to apply who have the potential to significantly move their respective fields in ways that will ultimately lead to broad, transformative impacts for Native communities and beyond.
To learn more about the fellowship and the Fellowship process, please visit First Nations Development Institute at https://www.firstnations.org/projects/native-intellectual-leadership-fellowship-program/
Learn more at FNDI(this link opens in new window) Meet the 2025 Fellows(this link opens in new window)
