$266 M in Philanthropic Funds Available to Native American Food and Farming Initiatives

The Native American Agriculture Fund (NAAF), “the largest philanthropic organization solely devoted to serving the Native American community,” was created out of the Keepseagle v. Vilsack discrimination lawsuit. The settlement awarded $680 million dollars in compensation and $80 million dollars of debt relief to Native American farmers discriminated against by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Funds were awarded to 3,600 farmers and the $266 million in unclaimed funds have been pooled into the NAAF.

According to the Indian Country Today press release, NAAF’s purpose is “to fund the provision of business assistance, agricultural education, technical support, and advocacy services to Native American farmers and ranchers to support and promote their continued engagement in agriculture.”

You can read the full press release, that includes a list of the fourteen Court-approved trustees and executive director, by clicking here.