Our Impact

Since 2002, Potlatch Fund has centered on creating a gift economy, one where reciprocity, generosity, honor, and culture catalyze an economy of shared resources in the spirit of our ancestors.

When we give, we all receive. 

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Impact to Date

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$11 million+ in gifts given

Giving about 200 gifts annually

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Gifting more than $500,000 in grants each year

Fast Facts

  • Potlatch Fund is a “by” and “for” Native organization—Native led for Native People.

  • Moving wealth directly into Indian Country since 2004

  • We serve Native nations, organizations, and individuals on the traditional and ancestral unceded territories of Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington.

  • Providing low-barrier financial gifts aligned with Native seasonal activities

The Potlatch Fund approach is backed by research revealing one key fact: The most important, effective step philanthropy can take is to actually commit to funding Native causes.

Key Findings:

  • Since 2006 the federal government has spent just 1 cent on language reclamation for every dollar it spent on assimilatory policies in the 19th and 20th centuries.

  • “Given the significant investment needs in Native communities and the length of time that Native Americans have needed to navigate underinvestment from both the federal government and philanthropy, it’s unrealistic to expect many of the challenges they face to be resolved in a single grant cycle.”

  • Major philanthropic organizations continue to underinvest in Native Americans, with just 0.88% of foundation and corporate philanthropic giving going to Native American-related causes, and just 0.51% going to Native-exclusive causes.

  • Many philanthropic organizations that give to Native causes make just one or two grants to Native American recipients per year, indicating such giving is incidental and not part of a focused strategy for Tribal communities.

Read the Study
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  • “Perception within philanthropy that Native communities have access to federal funds and ‘casino money,’ and therefore do not need philanthropic dollars.” We as Potlatch Fund know and hear daily how this is not the case for the majority of our relatives.

  • The federal government invested in Native American language revitalization less than 3% of the government’s own estimated annual need in 2024— the estimate annual need is $1.5 billion.

“I am deeply proud to be a member of the Potlatch Fund family. They really show up in Community to center and uplift artists, culture keepers, storytellers, out elders, and our young people who are really moving our ways into the future.”

- tai simpson, Potlatch Fund Board Member
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A woman with curly black hair and glasses smiling outdoors, wearing a yellow shirt with a colorful embroidered design, and a black jacket, standing in front of green foliage.

How Potlatch Fund Uplifts Native People

Hear from Potlatch Fund grant recipients how a community built on generosity has empowered them to create and thrive.

Annual Impact Reports

Discover how our efforts have created gift economies, support Native traditions, and help Native individuals connect with their heritage.