Grantmaking for Indigenous Peoples by Indigenous Peoples

The Pawanka Fund is an Indigenous-led regranting fund established in 2014. CJRF grants, totaling $508,000 between 2019 and 2022, supported the Pawanka Fund in growing their climate portfolio by making local grants to support the climate resilience of Indigenous Peoples around the globe. Some of the activities supported in this initial grant included capacity building; documenting Indigenous knowledge; intergenerational exchanges; food security and community gardening; and more.

As part of our 2024-25 participatory grantmaking strategy, CJRF awarded Pawanka $250,000 in support of the Fund’s climate resilience regranting. The Pawanka Fund’s climate regranting builds climate justice through a holistic approach that values traditional knowledge connected to land, natural resources, culture, spirituality, and other aspects of Indigenous identity and community life.