2024 Open Call

Application

For Alaska Native Artists

“Our lifeways, material culture, and protocols serve as armor to resist efforts to exterminate us. They are rooted in the power to unite and create space for all people. When we break down the efforts of those who work to silo, segregate, and discriminate there is space for all people and all living things.”

Application Deadline:October 31, 2024

The “Open Call” Movement Fund is a recognition that there is essential work happening that we are not always aware of, and by soliciting applications broadly, we can expand the scope and vision of this fund. The intention of this fund is to increase access to capital for Indigenous artists and community developers in order to amplify liberatory, grassroots and Queer/BIPOC led initiatives.

Native Movement’s Open Call Movement Fund aims to inspire and support movements for social justice, Indigenous rights, and the rights of Mother Earth through the direct funding of grassroots, intergenerational, and collective leadership efforts. The Movement Fund seeks to redistribute single one-time grants of $5,000-$25,000 to individual Alaska Native artists or artist collectives based full-time in Alaska. Funds will be granted based upon tiered levels in application.

To be eligible to apply, you must be Alaska Native (Indigenous to Alaska), live full-time in Alaska, and be at least 18 years of age at time of application.

Here Are Some Examples of What Types of Project Might Fit Into the Various Tiers of Funding:

  • Grants in the $5,000 range might support individual art projects.

  • Grants in the $5,000-$15,000 range might support artist pairings among highly experienced artists and those who are learning and practicing various art forms.

  • Grants in the $15,000-$25,000 range might support collaborative arts projects such as hide tanning camps.

2024 Theme: Alaska Native Arts

Art is essential on the path of social justice. The 2024 theme is inclusive of Alaska Native traditional arts, which are ever evolving and expansive in medium, form, and vision. Produced works can include impermanent or educational content such as screen printing or stickers, or other expressions that are not restricted to fine art as defined by mainstream funders. Film, music, dance, visual, and written arts are all included in the broad and essential storytelling arts. We especially encourage underrepresented customary art forms to apply.

Application Process & Timeline

Applications will be accepted from September 4 - October 31, 2024. Complete and eligible applications will be reviewed by an existing work group made up of volunteer advisors from across Alaska. Selected applicants will be individually notified in November, grant funds released in December and public announcement of funding decision will be shared out in January 2025.

Direct application questions to: movementfund@nativemovement.org  (907)-328-0582

Open Call Application FAQ’s

  • Our General Movement Fund has been one in which Native Movement leadership moves regranting dollars out to underfunded good work that we know is happening, using a closed referral process built upon deep trust. The “Open Call” Movement Fund is a recognition that there is essential work happening that we are not always aware of, and by soliciting applications broadly, we can expand the scope and vision of this fund.

  • This fund will increase access to capital for Indigenous artists and community developers in order to amplify liberatory, grassroots and Queer/BIPOC led initiatives. Currently, this is a one-time opportunity in 2024, though we intend to explore whether it could grow into multi-year support. This fund is built upon lessons learned from prior grantmaking efforts within an ecosystem of grassroots organizations Native Movement has directly supported—an effort that first began in 2021.

  • The 2024 theme “Alaska Native Arts” is inclusive of Alaska Native traditional arts, which is ever evolving and expansive in medium, form, and vision. Produced works can include impermanent or educational content such as screen printing or stickers, or other expressions that are not restricted to fine art as defined by mainstream funders. Film, music, dance, visual, and written arts are all included in the broad and essential storytelling arts.

  • Native Movement has pooled $500,000 total toward this 2024 fund, which includes Native Movement General Regrant dollars. We also have dedicated support for this effort from the Arctic Willow Advisory Group Fund, an all Indigenous grantmaking project based in Alaska with support from the Chorus Foundation.

  • In 2024 we are prioritizing Alaska Native led initiatives based in Alaska.

    • Individuals who are Alaska Native

    • Individuals living full time in Alaska

    • Individuals who are at least 18 years of age

    Please note: Our funding priorities for this open call are individuals who are not currently affiliated with Native Movement.

  • Grantees will apply for specific tiered levels of funding according to their various requests. Our organization seeks to provide single one-time grants ranging from $5,000 - $25,000 per selected applicant. Here are some examples of what types of project might fit into the various tiers of funding:

    Grants in the $5,000 range might support individual art projects.

    Grants in the $5,000-$15,000 range might support artist pairings among highly experienced artists and those who are learning and practicing various art forms.

    Grants in the $15,000-$25,000 range might support collaborative arts projects such as hide tanning camps.

  • Payments will be approved in November and distributed in December of 2024. Distributions are not automatic and may take several weeks for processing. 

In the past 4 years we have regranted to 47 partners – some with one-time funding and many with multiple year commitments.

  • Individual Donors

  • Kataly Foundation

  • Bezos Earth Fund

  • NDN Collective

Native Movement is committed to directly supporting the work of Movement Building, meaning an ecosystem of changemakers, groups, and organizations pushing forward visionary, liberatory, grassroots efforts across Alaska.

Formerly called our Regranting Fund, this program has been one in which Native Movement leadership moves regranting dollars to underfunded critical social justice work that we know is happening. We do not solicit applications for this fund, rather this is a closed referral process built upon deep trust.

In 2020 Native Movement was entrusted with rapid response funding to regrant to community organizations critical during the early months of the covid-19 pandemic. In the years following, Native Movement’s leadership – staff directors and board members – have directed funding to numerous projects and organizations throughout Alaska. Click here to check out our Movement Fund at a glance!

Philanthropic grantmaking has often reflected a pattern of transactional relationships, interwoven with unhealthy power dynamics, colonial understandings of what is “success” and “solutions”, and over burdensome application processes. Alternatively, wealth redistribution through an Indigenous worldview is based on an understanding that everyone should have what they need – our wealth is not measured by the amount we can accumulate, but by the amount we can give away. It is based on an understanding of kinship ties – this includes kinship to the land and animal relatives – and that all peoples have a place and role in making our communities healthy and strong. 

Our Movement Funds were initially supported by a new wave of donors – those who understand that the wealth they have accumulated was never really theirs to begin with, so often it has come at the cost of Indigenous stolen lands and the enslavement of African, Black, Indigenous, and other people of color historically (& currently, but we’ll talk about that more later). Native Movement has not actively solicited funding for our Movement Fund, we have been asked to step into this role and we are grateful for it. 

We are committed to bringing more resources to the critical work happening throughout Alaska. In addition to the donors who support this fund, we have hosted a Tending To The Light annual online fundraiser, and 3% of all our own general support grants go into the Movement Fund.

What is the Movement Fund?

Once a year, we get excited to introduce several new and established grassroots organizations advancing our diverse movements in an effort to share invaluable expertise, highlight exceptional work, and fundraise for the Movement Fund supporting an even larger ecosystem of community efforts. Keep your eyes out for more information here coming soon.

Individually and collectively, we are tending to the light in our lives: building community and people power. We are proud to be funded by and for our community. Every person, regardless of the amount they are able to contribute to these grassroots fundraising drives, is a meaningful part of this movement. We are grateful to be building community with you.

We have been able to regrant funding to Community Affiliates and other underfunded key organizations and groups. Contributing to this Regranting Fund supports many groups. Native Movement does not keep these funds, we move 100% of these funds to others.