Good Relatives Collaborative Grants

The following are eligible for grant funding:

• Native-led and Native-serving organizations with operating budgets under $500,000.

• Organizations, community collaborators, and nonprofits with a 501(C)(3) public charity or a fiscal sponsor.

• Organizations must be serving Native communities in South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota or one of the 23 Native nations that share the same geography

• GRC’s definition of a Native-led organization is that at least 60% of its board members are Native, and its senior leadership/ED is Native.

• If you are not a nonprofit organization yet, you will need to both identify a fiscal sponsor and procure a fiscal sponsor agreement. Please reach out to the Good Relatives Collaborative for fiscal sponsorship assistance as needed.

The following are ineligible for grant funding:

• Organizations with operating budgets over $500,000

• Individuals

• Pow-wows

• Tribal enterprises

• Requests for projects that support beneficiaries outside of our three-State region

• Religious programs for the purpose of religious education or proselytizing

• Sporting teams and events

• Servicing or paying off previously incurred debt or expenses

• Bringing programs and/or buildings in government compliance

We are guided in this process by the Native worldview of the life cycle and we recognize that every organization or group seeking funding may be at different stages of development. We see a priority need for development of new and exploring (in their infancy) Native-serving nonprofits, as well as emerging Native-serving organizations (at the adolescent stage), who need guidance in their stage of growth. We also hope to support more established (adult) and mature (elder) organizations through their on-going growth and encourage sharing of knowledge and wisdom.

We encourage applicants at all stages of growth to apply and evolve through the process of learning and teaching.

1. Exploring. This grant is for Native-led and Native-serving groups, collaboratives, or organizations who are not necessarily organized as a non-profit yet but are considering it and/or are doing the work in the community already. This is for new organizations that do not have much experience writing or managing grants yet and have an annual operating budget from $0-$25,000. The exploring grant is for those who may not already have a fiscal sponsor and may not have started the formal process to become a 501(c)3. The amount you can request is up to $20,000.

2. Emerging. This grant is for new or currently-applying Native-led and Native-serving 501(c)3 organizations. This is for small organizations with annual operating budgets between $25,000-$75,000 and who may already work with a fiscal sponsor. This grant is for those who may already have and manage a small number of grants but need more experience with the grant process. The amount you can request is up to $40,000.

3. Growing. This grant is for emerging Native-led and Native-serving 501(c)3 organizations with a track record of receiving grants and an annual budget of $75,000-$200,000. This is for organizations that have experience writing and managing smaller grants but have limited experience with larger grants. This is for organizations that may need guidance and assistance in managing and reporting and/or other phases but can also provide guidance for younger organizations in writing or accessing grants. The amount you can request is up to $50,000.

4. Maturing. This grant is for mature Native-led and Native-serving 501(c)3 organizations with annual operating budgets from $200,000-$500,000. This is for experienced 501(c)3 organizations with track records of managing foundation, state, and federal grants. This is for those who have experience accessing, writing, and managing smaller grants and can provide guidance for younger organizations in all phases and aspects of grant writing, reporting, and management. The amount you can request is up to $60,000.

• There will be two grant application cycles in 2024. The first cycle opens April 4, 2024 and closes June 28, 2024 at 5:00 pm MST/6:00 pm CST. The second cycle opens on July 1, 2024 at 7:00 am MST/ 8:00 am CST and closes on September 30, 2024 at 5:00 pm MST / 6:00 pm CST. We encourage you to apply early in each grant round.

• First and second cycle applicants will be notified of any grant awards by August 30 and December 2 respectively.

• Grant applications should be submitted for a 12 month term.

• Oral application review timeline (for exploring applicants) will occur after the grant cycle closes. Please reach out to your state contact well in advance of the grant deadline to arrange a meeting.

This grant application is for a 12 month term and is considered an unrestricted grant.

CLICK HERE TO APPLY ONLINE

CLICK HERE TO VIEW A COPY OF THE ONLINE APPLICATION

Required Application Materials:

• Most recent 990 or a list of current budget/assets (donations, current funding) and source of donations/funding

• Project Budget (simple narrative with budget figures)

• List of Board Members and their tribal affiliation

• If you don’t have a 501C3 nonprofit status, you must attach a Fiscal sponsorship agreement before submitting the application

• All grantees (at least 1 person from each organization) will be required to attend an annual 2-day convening for collaboration and learning.

• In lieu of a written final report, all grantees will give a verbal share out of learnings and dreams at the convening.

• More details about the convening date and travel logistics will be shared in the award letter.

For technical issues with application, please contact Alissa@fourbands.org

For grant support, please contact 1 of the following people from your state:

Minnesota & South Dakota - John Williams at jwilliams@nacdi.org

North Dakota - Cheryl Ann Kary at cheryl@sacredpipe.net