Indigenous Movement
Indigenous Youth Voice
IFIP is committed to empowering Indigenous Youth by amplifying their voices and aspirations to drive positive change, both within their communities and philanthropy at large. We actively engage with Indigenous youth in our programs and conferences to ensure inclusivity and relevance.
Why It Matters
Indigenous Youth have so much to contribute to the world when empowered to do so. However, as the world changes, Indigenous Youth face many challenges including systemic barriers, loss of cultural identity, and limited access to education and opportunities. By nurturing the talents and perspectives of Indigenous Youth, we not only invest in their future success but also enrich our communities with diverse perspectives, resilience, and innovation. Through the empowerment of Indigenous Youth, we pave the way for a more inclusive, equitable, and sustainable world for generations to come.
Our Work
Building on our longstanding dedication to amplifying Indigenous voices, IFIP has a history of engaging with Indigenous youth. Prior to our 2023 Global Conference, we initiated a thoughtful conversation with Indigenous Youth to gather their invaluable insights, enhancing our ability to organize a more responsive and relevant conference. During the conference itself, we also carved out a dedicated space for Indigenous Youth from around the globe to come together and deliberate on the issues that matter most to them.
IFIP is committed to enabling an inclusive environment where the voices and aspirations of Indigenous Youth are not only heard but also respected and empowered to effect positive change in their communities and beyond.
Upcoming Events
Resources
Mapping the Moment: The Structural Invisibility and Marginalization of Funding to Indigenous Peoples
Indigenous Peoples represent approximately 6.2% of the global population, steward 28% of the world’s land,…
Statement International Day of World’s Indigenous Peoples Day_9th August 2026
This Joint Statement recognizes Indigenous midwifery as an essential expression of Indigenous knowledge, leadership, and…
Indigenous Youth Leading a Global Movement
It documents the rise of an Indigenous youth-led international movement, tracing its evolution from the…
The 5Rs of Indigenous Philanthropy
In this feature published in Alliance Magazine, IFIP’s Lourdes Inga and Winnie Kodi explore the…
Rooted in Trust: A Funders’ Toolkit For Strengthening Indigenous-Led Funds
This toolkit provides practical guidance for funders and philanthropic partners seeking to strengthen Indigenous-led funds….
Reframing Philanthropy: Indigenous-Led Funds Governance Models
This report explores how Indigenous-led funds (ILFs) are reshaping traditional philanthropy through governance models grounded…
Moving Towards Respect and Redistribution: A Reflection on the Power of Sharing and Giving from Three Indigenous Peoples Organizations
In this article published by the Center for Effective Philanthropy (CEP), IFIP’s Lourdes Inga joins…
IFIP Global Conference 2025: Conference Report by Alliance Magazine
In this conference report published by Alliance Magazine, readers can explore coverage of IFIP’s 2025…
Indigenous Youth Manifesto
The Global Indigenous Youth Manifesto is a collective declaration of vision, demands, and commitment from…
IFIP at COP29 Reflection and Way Forward to Secure the Rights of the Indigenous Peoples for Climate Action
This article reflects on the gaps and challenges in climate finance highlighted at COP29, particularly…
Centering Indigenous self-determination and economic opportunity in Australian agriculture and food systems transformation
The Western industrial agricultural system, with its practices of extraction, individual ownership, and overdevelopment, has…
Disrupting Paradigms in Australian Philanthropy
When CAGES Foundation started in 2009, our vision was ‘for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander…
Transforming Philanthropy: A Call for Indigenous-Centric Approaches in Australia
It has been a busy and exciting time since starting as the Regional Manager, Australia…
Realizing the right to self-determination
Of all the rights that are elaborated in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights…
Self-Determination and Creative Capital: Keys to Realizing Indigenous Economic Success
Indigenous Peoples have had varied, complex, and complete economic visions for thousands of years. These…
Funding Trend Analysis on Indigenous Peoples Philanthropy
This report analyzes global philanthropic funding for Indigenous Peoples from 2016 to 2020. Despite the…
Moving Philanthropy in Australia Together
Learn more about the perspectives of Australian Indigenous Organisations, Indigenous Led Funds, Funders and IFIP…
Empowering Indigenous communities: The rise of Indigenous-Led Funds
In this analysis published in Alliance Magazine, IFIP’s Lourdes Inga and Winnie Kodi explore the…
Essential Principles of Partnering and Funding Indigenous Women Organizations
This report provides practical principles and recommendations for funders and philanthropic actors seeking to build…
Leaders and Stewards: Global Analysis of Funding to Indigenous Women
A data-driven research report that examines global funding trends and philanthropic practices related to Indigenous…
Time to Step Up: From Solidarity to Redistributing Funding to Indigenous Women
The report examines persistent disparities in funding for Indigenous Women and calls on philanthropy to…
Evolutions of a Global Community of Funders: Reflections on IFIP’s Latest Strategy with Executive Director Lourdes Inga
This interview with IFIP Executive Director Lourdes Inga and The Giving Practice’s Lisa Fisher explores…
Funding Trend Analysis on Indigenous Peoples Philanthropy – 20 Recommendations for Future Actions
This resource outlines 20 strategic recommendations derived from a three-stage research project by the International…
The Blind Spot In Philanthropy
In this episode of Benevity’s Speaking of Purpose podcast, “The Blind Spot in Philanthropy,” IFIP’s…
Time to support Indigenous-led philanthropy
In this article, republished by Philanthropy Australia and first published in Alliance Magazine, IFIP explores…
Pacific Indigenous Women’s Network (PIWN) Bears Fruit
Indigenous women throughout the world play a critical role in the transmission of traditional knowledge,…
Philanthropic Funding to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities
Thank you to IFIP for being interested in elevating information on the philanthropic space in…
He wai ola ko Moananuiākea: Sharing good water in Moananuiākea
Unlike Western perspectives that view the oceans as a separator of islands and continents, the…
Building on Indigenous Knowledge
In this feature published in Alliance Magazine, IFIP’s Lourdes Inga and Phrang Roy explore how…
Oceans of Opportunity
Samqwane’jk project to build on partnership and innovation By Joey Fitzpatrick When Glooscap slept, Nova…
Recognizing the Ocean Stewardship of Indigenous Peoples
Oceans underpin human livelihoods by supporting 80 per cent(opens in new tab) of the world’s…
Nia Tero and Indigenous Guardianship in Pasifika
Indigenous peoples uphold many of the planet’s healthiest ecosystems, rich in biodiversity and essential to…
The Ocean is Our Protector. Now We Must Protect It
Some early mornings during this tumultuous pandemic when there was no calm or accessible refuge…
Women’s Rights and Environmental Justice
When it comes to supporting Indigenous women’s rights, we often face assumptions about how the…
Healing Justice: A New Pathway for Health and Wellbeing within Climate Justice
“Healing justice is a framework that recognizes the impact of trauma and violence on individuals…
Indigenous Women Walking Together Towards Change
The history of the struggle for our individual and collective rights goes far back, inscribing…
Indigenizing Philanthropy: Indigenous Led Funds
This article explores the role of Indigenous-led funds in transforming philanthropy by centering Indigenous Peoples’…
Indigenous Ways of Giving and Sharing: Indigenous-led Funds Landscape Scan Report
Indigenous Ways of Giving and Sharing: Indigenous-led Funds Landscape Scan Report, commissioned by the International…
Arctic Indigenous Fund Invests in Movement Making Across the Circumpolar North
I volunteered to share about our group because it brings me joy. My intention is…
Indigenous Led Funds Unite: Observations on Pawanka Fund’s Indigenous Led Fund Meeting in Sampi Territories
On behalf of the peoples of the South Pacific and Indigenous peoples in Canada, Pacific…
Indigenous Sacred Natural Sites: Under Pressure
“Indigenous peoples have the right to maintain and strengthen their distinctive spiritual relationship with their…
Southeast Asia Forum on the Challenges and Opportunities with Indigenous Knowledge, Systems & Practices and Rights-based Sustainable Development
Recognition, respect, protection and fulfillment of Indigenous Peoples rights, specifically to their Indigenous Knowledge Systems…
Protecting the Ancestral Territory of the Cofán: Unrestricted Funds and Trust
“We continue to be frustrated by the lack of understanding about the tremendous importance of…
Justice is Key to Real Social Progress (Indigenous Philanthropy Issue)
This article, featured in Alliance Magazine’s March 2020 issue, explores a conversation between Lourdes Inga…
Land is Life Launches Indigenous-Led Security Fund in Sub-Saharan Africa to Address Growing Threats
Indigenous people in Africa are under increased threat, according to a 2019 Minority Rights Group…
Learning is a Collaborative Journey: IFIP’s Learning Institute Convenes Funders to Amplify Indigenous Philanthropy
“The future of philanthropy is one centered on funding solutions that are led by communities…
Why Funders Need Capacity Building
Throughout my career in sustainable development and now philanthropy, I’ve always wrestled with the concept…
Skill-sharing on Grantmaking – A Journey in Engaged Indigenous Philanthropy
In 2018, during an informal meeting between Leila Salazar-López, Amazon Watch’s (AW) Executive Director; Lourdes…
Lessons in Listening: Guidance from Indigenous Leaders
The recent release of the grave UN assessment detailing the impact of humans on the…
Indigenous Funds are Changing the Conversation in Global Philanthropy
Since the implementation of our strategic framework, IFIP’s global community is growing. This includes Indigenous-led…
The power of participatory video and digital dictionaries in preserving Indigenous languages
“We need to have our language back as a matter of pride, because if we…
?así Horįsha Dëne: Indigenous Languages the Key to Solving the Climate Crisis
At Indigenous Climate Action (ICA) we believe that Indigenous peoples are the keepers of valuable…
Indigenous Language, Climate Change & Forced Displacement
During the First Peoples Convening on Climate-Forced Displacement, which brought together over sixty First and…
Rising for our Mother
Photojournalist and filmmaker, Rucha Chitnis, produced this inspiring video called Rising for Our Mother, which…
Defenders of Indigenous Rights in Latin America: A Briefing for Funders
An international donor briefing on the violence and criminalization faced by Indigenous land defenders in…
Indigenous Defenders of Pacific Islands: A Briefing for Funders
An international donor briefing on threats like deep-sea mining and climate change facing indigenous defenders…
Indigenous Fund Lead the Way to Decolonize Philanthropy
Institutional philanthropy, in a nutshell, is a Western construct. Often it can seem transactional, likened…
Indigenous Women Leading in the Implementation of the SDGs
One of the most salient evolutions from the United Nation’s Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to…
Brazil’s Political Crisis Places Indigenous Rights at the Crossroads
The election of the extreme right-wing politician Jair Bolsonaro to Brazil’s presidency represents a profound…
Reimagining Renewable Energy: Indigenous Peoples Driving Solutions
We need to understand the realities on the ground in relation to renewable energy. It’s…
Decolonizing Climate Finance: Listening to Indigenous Communities Protecting Earth’s Lungs
“As Indigenous Peoples and members of local communities from the Amazon, Mesoamerica, Indonesia and Brazil,…
Indigenous Territories a New Way Forward with Funders
“We are not small islands. We are a vast oceanscape,” said Maureen Penjueli at the…
IFIP Learning Institute’s Commitment to the Four R’s of Indigenous Philanthropy
In recent years, the funding sector has been more prominently embracing equity, justice and a…
Advancing and Supporting Indigenous Women’s Rights
Indigenous women have made a vast imprint on global processes as change agents. This includes…
“Engage What You Own:” Your Investment Portfolios and Indigenous Peoples Rights
Steven Heim is a Managing Director at Boston Common Asset Management, an investment firm that…
Putting Relationships First: How Social Enterprise and Impacting Investment Leverage the Relationship & Reciprocity in IFIP’s 4 Rs
Relationships and Reciprocity – two of 4 Rs (alongside respect, and responsibility) are foundational values…
Combining Traditional Knowledge with University-Based Research to Address Social and Economic Issues
“The Mitacs collaborative web-based mapping tool project is partially funded by Mitsubishi Foundation for the…
A Lush Fresh Handmade Approach to Grantmaking
Lush Handmade Cosmetics is a cosmetics retailer most commonly known for their ethically and sustainably…
Beaver Lake Cree Bring the Power of the Sun to Tar Sands Ground Zero
When you live in the middle of the biggest sacrifice zone on Earth, how do…
Indigenous Defenders of Africa: A Funders Brief
An international donor briefing on the land rights violations, state non-recognition, and climate vulnerabilities facing…
Going to the Fundamentals: How the Sculpture Gardens of Native Science and Learning can Shape the Way We View Solutions to Climate Change
Indigenous philanthropy agrees that solutions to climate change should be underpinned by Indigenous knowledge, which…
Grupo Ecologic de Sierra Gorda (GESG) Paving a Way Forward in Climate Change Mitigation
Since December of 2016, the Mitsubishi Corporation Foundation for the Americas has been supporting the…
IFIP Convening: Philanthropy with Indigenous Peoples around Territorial Stewardship
IFIP held a funder dialogue on December 6th, 2017 with participants from philanthropy as well…
A Dialogue with Myrna Cunningham on FILAC
On November 14th El Fondo para el Desarrollo de los Pueblos Indígenas de América Latina…
Comparative Regional Report. Development of the Rights to FPIC, Territory, Health and Education Recognized in ILO Convention 169.
This comparative regional report examines the implementation of rights recognized under ILO Convention No. 169,…
A Call to Action: Insights into the Status of Funding for Indigenous Women’s Groups
A Call to Action: Insights into the Status of Funding for Indigenous Women’s Groups is…
Funding Indigenous Peoples Strategies for Support
The report serves as an essential roadmap for global grantmakers, examining effective practices, logistical strategies,…
A Funder’s Toolkit: Implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
This practical toolkit supports funders in aligning philanthropic practices with the United Nations Declaration on…
The Grantmaker’s Guide : Strengthening International Indigenous Philanthropy.
This guide supports grantmakers in strengthening their approaches to funding and partnering with Indigenous Peoples….
The Indigenous Peoples Funding and Resource Guide
This resource guide provides information and resources for Indigenous groups and organizations seeking funding for…