Apply for a Grant
Applications for our current Grant Cycle are now closed.Apply for a Grant
Applications for our current Grant Cycle are now closed.The Wisdom of the Past is the Seed of the Future™
About the Sacred Fire Foundation
The mission of the Sacred Fire Foundation is to ensure the continuance of ancestral wisdom and to expand awareness of the critical and timely importance of the Indigenous worldview, for all people and for future generations. We envision a global society that prioritizes balance, community, and connection, and helps to sustain all life on Earth.
About the Protecting the Sacred Grant Program
To further the mission of the Sacred Fire Foundation, our grant program, Protecting the Sacred, provides modest grants and organizational support for Indigenous wisdom-keepers and their communities to assist them in the maintenance of traditional ways and the realization of a sustainable future rooted in Indigenous values. We fund projects around the world that reflect, support, and/or restore spiritual and cultural practices based in ancestral wisdom.
Our 2020 Grant Cycle is now closed.
To all our grant applicants: our selection process has been delayed because of the pandemic, however all applicants will be soon notified final results via email, and within the next few weeks we will be announcing our 2020 grantees to the general public.
If you are interested in applying when our next cycle opens, we invite you to read our Grant Application Guidelines below.
**Grant Application Guidelines**
Grant Focus Areas
Projects may fall into one or several of the following focus areas:
Awareness Building:
We support projects that document Indigenous wisdom and worldviews in such a way that they can be shared with the rest of humankind. Indigenous ancestral wisdom might seem far removed from our lives, nonetheless it is a treasure trove for all of humanity, allowing us to learn from the varied experiences accumulated through millennia by Indigenous Peoples in relating to each other and to the natural world in a more balanced and respectful way.
To learn more about these projects, we invite you to peruse our Awareness Building projects page, where you can read more about this focus area and view the impact we have had the chance to create:
https://www.sacredfire.foundation/focus-areas/awareness-building/
https://www.sacredfire.foundation/focus-areas/awareness-building/
Earth Stewardship:
Indigenous Peoples are at the front-line of environmental devastation as their sacred lands become targets for exploitation and economic gain. We support projects that protect our Earth and promote the values of reciprocity and respect that are at the heart of sustainable living.
To learn more about these projects, we invite you to peruse our Earth Stewardship projects page, where you can read more about this focus area and view the impact we have had the chance to create:
https://www.sacredfire.foundation/focus-areas/earth-stewardship/
https://www.sacredfire.foundation/focus-areas/earth-stewardship/
Education:
We support projects that teach and inspire children and youth to learn from and participate in the traditional practices of their people: singing their songs, following their ceremonial cycles, and learning traditional knowledge from their community elders.
To learn more about these projects, we invite you to peruse our Education projects page, where you can read more about this focus area and view the impact we have had the chance to create:
https://www.sacredfire.foundation/focus-areas/education/
https://www.sacredfire.foundation/focus-areas/education/
Food and Healing:
We support projects in Indigenous communities aimed at keeping traditional food, healing sources & teachings, and cultural practices alive, both for the sustenance of the people and for the creation of awareness about the ways in which the earth continually supports us, individually and collectively.
To learn more about these projects, we invite you to peruse our Food and Healing projects page, where you can read more about this focus area and view the impact we have had the chance to create:
https://www.sacredfire.foundation/focus-areas/food-and-healing/
https://www.sacredfire.foundation/focus-areas/food-and-healing/
Language, Art and Culture:
We support projects that revitalize Indigenous languages and arts, celebrating the richness of diversity necessary for cultures to flourish.
To learn more about these projects, we invite you to peruse our Language, Art and Culture projects page, where you can read more about this focus area and view the impact we have had the chance to create:
https://www.sacredfire.foundation/focus-areas/language-art-and-culture/
https://www.sacredfire.foundation/focus-areas/language-art-and-culture/
Ritual and Ceremony:
We support the rituals and ceremonies of Indigenous Peoples that strengthen the fabric of connection between humans, the ancestors, the sacred and the natural world.
To learn more about these projects, we invite you to peruse our Ritual and Ceremony projects page, where you can read more about this focus area and view the impact we have had the chance to create:
https://www.sacredfire.foundation/focus-areas/ritual-and-ceremony/
https://www.sacredfire.foundation/focus-areas/ritual-and-ceremony/
Youth:
We support projects that help Indigenous youth understand and value their ancestral culture with dignity and strength, and to incorporate modernity in their lives in a balanced and effective way. The link between youth and elders is essential to the continuance of wisdom and to the survival of cultures.
To learn more about these projects, we invite you to peruse our Youth projects page, where you can read more about this focus area and view the impact we have had the chance to create:
https://www.sacredfire.foundation/focus-areas/youth/
https://www.sacredfire.foundation/focus-areas/youth/
Who can apply?
Awards will be made to individuals, groups and organizations whose initiatives are complementary to and further the mandate of Sacred Fire Foundation. Ideally, applicants are a community/organization/group/association of Indigenous Peoples and have non-profit status or a fiscal sponsor with non-profit status.
Organizations that are not a 501(c)(3) exempt organization may be considered but will receive an Internal Revenue Service form 1099 from Sacred Fire Foundation.
What are the requirements?
Sacred Fire Foundation will take the following criteria in mind during the selection process:
1. The application directly benefits an organization and/or a project that is Indigenous-led and has originated from within the community it will benefit. The maximum available for each project is US $5,000. The budget submitted must be based on a realistic assessment of local costs. The budget must be expressed in U.S. dollars.
2. Sacred Fire Foundation considers the contribution that Indigenous participants make to the development of the projects in their own communities. It is important to consider this contribution and describe it in the budget, though the contribution need not be quantifiable (ie. cultural practices, traditional knowledge and spiritual resources).
3. The timetable/calendar must be included, indicating the anticipated activities for the project over a period of 12 months. The date used to determine the 12-month period will be the date of Sacred Fire Foundation’s acceptance letter.
4. Grantees need to fully complete the first grant cycle, and comply with all reporting requirements, prior to considering re-applying to SFF. Applications from former grantees who have failed to submit a report will not be accepted.
6. Sacred Fire Foundation limits funding to 5 years per organization and/or project. During this time period, we encourage the grantee to find additional sources of funding to support the sustainability of the organization and/or project. Grants are based on availability of funds, project performance, and compliance with progress and financial reporting requirements. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
Selection Criteria
The Sacred Fire Foundation will consider the following criteria when making its granting decisions:
1. If the organization and/or project is Indigenous-led and has originated from within the community it will benefit. To determine project and organization leadership, we will favor those organizations with a majority (more than 51%) of
Indigenous leadership in their organizational structure.
Indigenous leadership in their organizational structure.
2. The extent to which the initiative and the Foundation’s interests are compatible with the support and/or restoration of ancestral wisdom, Indigenous perspectives, and/or cultural or traditional spiritual practices.
3. The specific issue or situation that the project addresses and the relevance and contribution of the proposed project to the issue or situation.
4. The primary and secondary benefits that would accrue as a result of the initiative, especially the extent of long-term benefits.
5. The extent of the community’s volunteer involvement and contribution toward furthering the goals or desired impact described in the application.
6. The extent to which the initiative encourages or enhances cooperation and relationships between and amongst different groups.
7. The potential for the grant to be used to leverage additional funds from other funding sources for the same purposes, if required.
8. For requests that will produce a permanent program or project, evidence that the applicant organization plans to and is capable of financially sustaining the effort beyond the end of the award period.
Restrictions and Conditions
1. Awards will be made with the understanding that Sacred Fire Foundation assumes no obligation or commitment to provide additional support to the applicant organization.
2. Awards will not be made toward the support of political campaigns or attempts to influence a legislature or any other governmental body.
3. Awards will be made without discrimination on the basis of age, color, race, religion, sex, disability, veteran status, or national origin, and only to eligible recipients who do not unlawfully discriminate on these same criteria.
4. Project extensions and/or report submissions may be requested and approved if circumstances are justified.
Non-allowable expenses:
1. First-class travel including: airfare, accommodation, car rentals, meal costs, etc., unless conditions require this for the success of the project.
2. International travel costs unless unavoidable for the success of the project.
3. Entertainment expenses for purposes other than those directly related to meeting program objectives as defined and agreed on in the proposal.
4. Pre-grant costs (i.e., project costs generated during the preparation of a proposal for the same project).
5. Endowment campaigns.
6. Construction, purchase, or renovation of facilities, with the exception of sacred and ceremonial buildings.
7. Regular salaries of pre-grant permanent staff.
8. Discretionary or emergency/disaster requests.
9. Scholarships and fellowships.
10. Missionary projects.
11. Deficit funding.
We are happy to provide any additional clarification. Please direct any questions you might have to:
Mercedes Caso, Sacred Fire Foundation Director of Grantmaking
email address: [email protected]