Interwoven Initiatives

These special projects are interlaced across our four Program Pathways – Community Vitality; Land, Water, and Climate; Thriving Women; and our emergency Flicker Fund – and may include direct grantmaking, leadership and organizational development, and movement-building organizing support.

Our Interwoven Initiatives focus on regional grantmaking, capacity-building, and peer networking; funder education, orientation, and engagement; sustaining Indigenous values and well-being; and building creative capacities through small grants for sponsorships for arts, creative expression, and innovation.

Gourds of Wisdom

Gourds of Wisdom is a cohort of philanthropic donors, funders and advisors engaged in an educational and cultural orientation for Indigenous Peoples, communities, and the Indigenous Peoples’ movement.

Designed by Seventh Generation Fund leadership, in engagement with and from community, Gourds of Wisdom brings together the strengths of like-minded colleagues in movement building, academia and philanthropy, as well as with allies in social transformation and justice endeavors.

Strengthening Supports for Elders in Indigenous Communities

Created to better integrate systems of care for Elders living on or near the four native nations of Blackfeet, Crow, Northern Cheyenne, and Oglala Lakota, Strengthening Supports for Elders in Indigenous Communities is designed to build a better understanding of Elders’ roles, identities, and test strategies that can support tribal Elders as they choose to live with autonomy and dignity in their homes and communities.

This program, which serves communities in regions of Montana and the Dakotas, provides a greater range of services and support, social connections, and higher quality of care. This initiative has enhanced access to traditional foods, medicines, education, chronic disease care and management, and strengthened support systems for elder cultural activities and both virtual and in-person social opportunities.

Spiral Braid

To strengthen local and regional movement building, organizational capacity, and empowerment, Spiral Braid provides critical support to Indigenous communities and emerging and anchor organizations within the (so-called) U.S. Southwest and Northern Mexico. Working with regional partners, we provide direct funding, technical assistance, issue advocacy, and hosting regional gatherings. We also serve as a conduit to build and link movements, organizations, and communities within these regions.

El Tejido

Seventh Generation Fund is building and strengthening funding, capacity support and movement relationships in Central America. Through grantmaking, technical assistance, and convenings, SGF serve as a partner to local organizations to build connections and power across communities and movements.

Eagle & Condor

The Eagle & Condor program focuses on Indigenous women’s leadership, food systems, and youth organizing in South America. Working with regional partners, SGF provides technical assistance, issue advocacy, and hosts regional gatherings in the region. We also serve as a conduit to build and link movements, organizations, and communities.

Africa Initiative

Building partnerships and providing program support to grassroots Indigenous community projects, the Africa Initiative works directly with local organizations in eastern, sub-Saharan Africa. Working with African partners, SGF provides direct funding, technical assistance and issue advocacy. Through this initiative, we provide direct grantmaking within all of our program pathways with an emphasis on African Indigenous women-led endeavors.