Seven grantees were announced through a $5.5 million investment to advance Tribal sovereignty and Indigenous leadership. Photo courtesy of the Seattle Foundation. We are excited to announce the grantees for the First Peoples Climate Fund, a landmark $5.5 million investment that places Indigenous sovereignty, leadership, and ancestral knowledge at the heart of climate action!
The First Peoples Climate Fund follows a community-driven process that centers the voices and expertise of Tribes and Native leaders in the Seattle area. The Fund invests in a range of climate strategies that prioritize Tribal and Native leadership in addressing the region’s climate challenges.
“This fund reflects Seattle’s commitment to working in partnership with Tribal governments and supporting Native communities. We are honored to invest in Indigenous leadership and showcase through action how governments and philanthropic partners can come together to support climate solutions rooted in cultural knowledge, community wellbeing, and generations of care for this region,” Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson said.
The selected recipients of the First Peoples Climate Fund and their projects are:
- Snoqualmie Tribe whose work will advance technical support and conceptual planning to help identify and envision river and floodplain habitat restoration, along with other high-priority land uses. Their project will also advance their Comprehensive Climate Action Plan through implementation of building decarbonization and energy conservation measures.
- Suquamish Tribe will work towards the design and implementation of projects that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions from Suquamish tribal government buildings.
- Cattail Rising will expand and unify their land-based, intertribal youth programs into a coordinated climate justice and leadership network.
- yəhaw̓ Indigenous Creatives Collective will transform their Rainier Beach site into a resilience hub and Indigenous Arts Campus in South Seattle that integrates art, cultural practice, and Traditional Ecological Knowledge to advance climate adaptation, environmental stewardship, and Indigenous well-being.
- Feed Seven Generations will advance Native climate leadership by supporting culturally rooted food and land stewardship practices and addressing environmental health inequities through community-driven approaches grounded in Traditional Ecological Knowledge.
- Chief Seattle Club will transform Monterey Lofts into sustainable, culturally affirming workspace that advances climate justice for urban Native people in Seattle. This initiative will deliver energy-efficient upgrades improving health outcomes, and strengthen services for urban Native community members experiencing homelessness.
- Seattle Indian Services Commission will develop an Indigenous-designed, relationship-based ecosystem that connects Native workers and entrepreneurs to wealth-building initiatives, strengthening economic opportunity and closing wealth gaps in the urban Native community.
We celebrated the grantees at an event, where we revealed an artistic mural showcasing the purpose of the First Peoples Climate Fund and the seven funded Tribal and Native projects. The mural was created by artist Mari Shibuya, with support from Headwater People, an indigenous-led and serving consulting firm.
“As I look out into this crowd, I see the faces of community leaders who have been in deep partnership with us to make sure that the commitments the City has made to be a good partner come to fruition. At the heart of this granting initiative is the intention to directly invest in Tribal and Native leadership to implement climate strategies that are unique to the needs of Native American communities and that preserve cultural knowledge, wisdom, and ways,” OSE Acting Director Lylianna Allala said.
“At Seattle Foundation, we are focused on building a joyful community of shared prosperity, belonging, and justice. We center joy in our work because it has the capacity to hold beauty and chaos. It allows us to move forward, together, even when the work is hard. That’s what makes today special, as it is one of those moments where purpose, partnership, and possibility come together,” said Alesha Washington, President & CEO, Seattle Foundation.
The First Peoples Climate Fund supports the City’s commitment outlined in the 2025 Tribal Nations Summit to strengthen relationships with Tribal governments and support urban Native communities. Our office partnered with Seattle Foundation to co-develop the Fund’s grantmaking process and administer the $5.5M available for grants.
The idea for this Fund was sourced from a budget recommendation put forward by Seattle’s Green New Deal Oversight Board. Learn more about our climate justice work and grantmaking on our website.