Honorees

Makoce Agriculture Development is a Lakota-led, community-driven nonprofit situated on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. Makoce’s mission is to develop Indigenous Agriculture & Food Systems designed to regenerate equitable, healthy communities, economies, and our environment. Our vision is the development of a multifaceted local food system that provides healthy foods locally to distribute to both our local community members and the region. Through our five initiatives, including the Food Systems Institute, Food Hub, Hemp Production, Regenerative Production Farm, and Oceti Sakowin Food Systems Alliance, we are building a resilient future rooted in a local food system. Our contributions aim to achieve self-determination using long-term systems change approaches to ensure that youth and families in our community have access to healthy, affordable foods, healthier ways of living, and economic opportunities. Makoce leverages land, people, traditional philosophy and systems to restore the community’s vitality as a thriving Oglala Lakota Oyate.

The Minneapolis American Indian Center provides essential services and a central gathering space for the Twin Cities urban Native community. The center serves about 10,000 people a year through its education, employment, health, social service, fitness, cultural, youth, and elder programs, which are provided at no cost to participants. Community leaders founded the center in the 1970s, and this tradition continues today with a majority Native leadership and staffing.

The center continuously evolves to meet community needs; the building reopened in 2024 after undergoing a historic $32.5 million renovation and expansion that added and improved spaces and provided needed maintenance to ensure it will continue serving the community for years to come. The building is open to all and provides connections to Native culture through its rentable meeting and event spaces, Gatherings Café, Two Rivers Gallery, and Woodland Indian Craft Gifts shop.

Turtle Mountain IMPACT: Empowerment Self Defense is a grassroots violence prevention education initiative located on the Turtle Mountain Chippewa reservation in Belcourt, North Dakota. As the first Indigenous-led IMPACT chapter operating on sovereign tribal land, the organization serves approximately 7,000 enrolled tribal members. Turtle Mountain IMPACT teaches empowerment self-defense, assertive communication, and safety skills to women, girls, two-spirit individuals, and other community members experiencing epidemic levels of violence. The staff consists primarily of enrolled Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa tribal members, and the organization operates through strong collaborative relationships with tribal programs, schools, and community organizations.