Eligibility & Criteria

The application period for the Good Relatives Collaborative Grants begins on Friday, May 16, 2025 at 8 am MT / 9 am CT, and closes on Monday, June 16, 2025  at 5 pm MT/ 6 pm CT.

Grants will be awarded based on qualification and community review of the work outlined in the Letter of Application. The application process includes two parts: sharing documentation demonstrating your qualification for this grant and a letter of application.

Please note the changes for 2025 grant eligibility have been noted with an asterisk. 

The following are eligible for grant funding:

• Organizations, community collaborators, and nonprofits with a 501(C)(3) public charity or a fiscal sponsor
• Organizations must be located and serving Native communities in South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, or one of the Native Nations that share the same geography. We will use your physical address and your Letter of Determination / Incorporation to determine the geography of your work
• 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
• CEO/ Executive Director must be Native American
• *Repeat Grantees are allowed if they have received less than $49,999
• * Native-led and Native-serving organizations with operating budgets under $2.5 Million
• * Our definition of a Native-led organization is that at least 60% of its board members are Native, and its senior leadership, Executive Director, and or CEO is Native American

The following are ineligible for grant funding:

• Individuals
• Pow-wows
• Tribal enterprises
• Requests for projects that support beneficiaries outside of our three-State region
• Religious programs for 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
• Organization has less than 60% board members who are Native and senior leadership is not Native American
• * Organizations with operating budgets over $2.5 Million
• *Repeat Grantees are not allowed if they have received more than $49,999

Additional Information

• Organizations may apply for either award amounts of $50,000 or $100,000
• Organizations may apply once
• Organizational operating budget must be under $2.5 million
• Organizations that have received past Good Relative Collaborative grants are allowed to reapply if they have received less than $49,999 cumulatively. Please reach out to the Collaborative if you have questions about your previous award amounts. 
• Applicant must be located in the state in which they are doing the work, in Minnesota, South Dakota, or North Dakota, and the Native Nations that share the same geography

• Board approved Operating Budget showing expenses
• Last Year’s Filed 990
• Fiscal Sponsorship or 501c3 Certificate
• Letter of Determination/ Incorporation
• Number of years in operation, enter date of incorporation or determination as listed on letter uploaded
• EIN Federal Tax Number

We suggest that you collect your documents and draft your answers prior to entering your information into the portal. We also encourage you to use the “save” button in the bottom right hand corner for the portal. An email with your saved work will come from [email protected].