First People's Fund Rooted Pathways Program

The Rooted Pathways Program aims to provide resources and stability to Native arts and cultural organizations through unrestricted general operating support, empowering organizations to define and advance their own organizational well-being.

📝 About the Program

Rooted Pathways is designed to:

• Support Native-led arts organizations, businesses, and artist collectives.
• Strengthen organizational well-being to sustain and uplift Native artists, culture bearers, and Indigenous arts.
• Help organizations deepen alignment with their mission and vision, fostering growth and resilience.

Key Details:

• Grant Period: August 1, 2025 – July 31, 2026
• Total Grants Awarded: 9 Native-led arts organizations, businesses, and/or artist collectives
• Sponsor Organization: Wallace Foundation
• Grant Amount: $55,000

✅ Eligibility Criteria

To qualify for the program, applicants must meet the following requirements:

• Be a Native-led arts organization, business, or collective (Non-profit, For-profit, LLCs, etc.) with budgets under $500,000.
• Serve US-based artists and culture bearers who are members of a U.S. federally-recognized or U.S. state-recognized tribe, Alaska Native, or Native Hawaiian.
• Applicants cannot have received Wallace Foundation awards from other participating organizations in the Advancing Well-Being in the Arts Initiative. While applying to multiple organizations is allowed, recipients can only be awarded one grant.
• Organizations/businesses/collectives must have existed for a minimum of two years (formal legal status may have developed/changed during this time).
• Lead applicants of a collective must be at least 18 years old at the time of application.
• Must reside and be based within the 50 U.S. States, the District of Columbia, and/or U.S. territories.
• Leadership must include an enrolled member of, or provide proof of lineal descendancy from, a U.S. federally-recognized or U.S. state-recognized tribe, or provide proof of ancestry as an Alaska Native or Native Hawaiian.
• For more information about acceptable documents, refer to the guidelines here.

📅 Application Process and Timeline

Application Deadline:

• June 20, 2025

Application Process:

1. Program staff will conduct a technical review of applications for program requirements and eligibility.
2. The final number of grants awarded will be determined based on total available funding.
3. Final award decisions will be based on review committee recommendations and any relevant funding restrictions.

How to Apply:

• Submit your application via Submittable.
• Note: Applications sent over email will not be considered.
• For an overview of application guidelines, review the PDF guidelines.

🌟 Benefits of the Program

• Grant Amount: $55,000
• Participation in a Learning Cohort to enhance organizational growth and alignment with mission and vision.

📌 Additional Information

• Organizations selected for the program will be required to submit an Interim Report and a Final Report.
• The program supports the growth of the Indigenous Arts Ecology by fostering strong, healthy systems within grantee organizations.

For more details, visit the First People's Fund Rooted Pathways Program page.

Apply now to strengthen your organization's roots and contribute to the thriving Indigenous arts community! 🌿

• Grant amount: $55,000