First Nations Development Institute

First Nations Development Institute is a left-of-center grantmaking organization that engages in environmentalist activism and provides Native American communities with funding to develop businesses. 1

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At-A-Glance

Type: Non-profit, 501(c)(3)
Issue Areas: Multi-Issue Advocacy
Website: www.firstnations.org
Formation:

1984

President:

Michael E. Roberts

Location: Longmont, CO View on map
Tax ID: 54-1254491
Most Recent Filing: 2025
Budget (2025): Assets: $116,192,648 Revenue: $56,357,235 Expenses: $30,218,527

Contents

    Finances

    In 2018, First Nations Development Institute received $7,307,859 in contributions, and $7,743,839 in total revenue through program service and investment income. 2 In 2018, the Institute reported $11,175,617 in net assets. 3

    In 2018, the Institute received $957,775 from the Margaret A. Cargill Foundation, $502,096 from the Kalliopeia Foundation,4 $200,000 from the Maine Community Foundation,5 $75,500 from the Bank of America Charitable Foundation,6 $56,650 from Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund,6 $20,000 from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation,7 $4,000 from the Bassett Foundation,6 $1,000 from the I & G Charitable Foundation,8 and $1,000 from the Hufty Foundation. 6

    Programs

    Investments in Tribal Communities

    First Nations Development Institute invests in Native American communities by creating and supporting local nonprofits and community centers. First Nations Development Institute has collaborated with the Department of Housing and Urban Development to administer development projects on tribal lands. 9

    Food and Health Program

    First Nations Development Institute invests in Native American communities to support access to fresh food and address nutritional needs. 10

    Household Asset Building

    First Nations Development Institute works with tribal colleges and community development financial institutions (CDFIs) to expand financial literacy in Native American communities. The Institue provides courses on individual development accounts, children’s savings accounts, and tax assistance. 11

    First Nations Development Institute also directly supports CDFIs and assists communities in estimating the value of their communal assets, in addition to providing asset management trainings. 11

    Partnership with CFPB

    First Nations Development Institute partnered with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to sue S/W Tax Loans, Inc., a company which the Institute claims steered Native Americans toward high-cost refund anticipation loans. 12

    Environmentalist Policies

    First Nations Development Institute has supported opposition to the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. Despite this opposition, the organization has previously expressed support for resource extraction on Native American lands, highlighting that there are around 15 million acres of energy and mineral reserves on tribal lands. 13

    Leadership

    Michael E. Roberts is the president of the First Nations Development Institute. Before this, Roberts was a research officer and chief operating officer for the First Nations Development Institute between 1992 and 1997. He became president of the organization in 2002. In the interim, Roberts worked for a number of telecommunications and venture capital companies. 14“Michael E. Roberts” First Nations Development Institute. https://www.firstnations.org/staff/michael-e-roberts/

    Financial Statistics

    Total Assets

    Total Revenue

    Total Expenses

    YearTotal AssetsTotal RevenueTotal ExpensesFiling
    2025 $116,192,648 $56,357,235 $30,218,527 View
    2024 $87,283,597 $36,918,534 $27,871,276 View
    2023 $73,818,011 $23,683,824 $21,880,286 View
    2022 $70,635,759 $42,441,504 $17,541,975 View
    2021 $51,116,124 $31,792,775 $11,843,779 View

    Prior year filings: 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011

    Revenue Detail

    Expenses Detail

    Employee Compensation

    • Number of Employees: 69

    Highest Earning Employees

    EmployeeTitleTotal Compensation
    Michael RobertsPRESIDENT$300,946
    Jacqueline FranckeCOO$180,386
    Catherine BryanCOMMUNICATIO$149,029
    Vena BrionesPOLICY RESEA$139,731
    Mary AdelzadehSNL DIRECTOR$118,969
    Rebecca TortesCA TRIBAL DI$116,464
    Thalia MackFINANCE OFFI$114,928

    Grant Activity

    All-time grants received statistics from Candid dataset:

    • Total Grant Value: $201,175,990
    • Number of Grants: 1,232
    • Number of Funders: 403

    Selection of highest value grants received from the last seven years:

    AmountYearFunderSubject
    $8,154,7502021 National Philanthropic TrustPUBLIC, SOCIETAL BENEFIT
    $8,000,0002020 MacKenzie ScottMackenzie Scott made an unrestricted donation of $8 million to First Nations Development Institute. This grant is part of $1.7 Billion in gifts Scott made to 116 organizations that address racial equity, climate change, public health, and more.
    $5,000,0002021 Bezos Earth FundThe Bezos Earth Fund announced a $5 million grant to the First Nations Development Institute for supporting Native communities and Tribal Justice40 efforts.
    $5,000,0002021 The Ford FoundationCore support for America's Cultural Treasures regional initiative for Native American communities, to support local arts and cultural activities
    $4,000,0002021 Waverley Street FoundationStewarding Native Lands; Nourishing Native Foods and Health
    $2,500,0002024 Waverley Street FoundationRegenerative agriculture and conservation
    $2,425,0002023 Margaret A Cargill FoundationThe purpose of the project is to strengthen the assets of Native American community partners and their contributions to culturally artistic core communities focusing on intergenerational transmission of artistic skill and cultural knowledge among emerging and established Native artists and culture bearers as well as preserving and revitalizing traditional art forms.
    $2,337,5002023 TIDES FOUNDATIONEQUITY, HUMAN RIGHTS, AND ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT
    $2,200,0002020 Margaret a Cargill FoundationSUPPORT FOR NATIVE ARTS CULTURALLY ARTISTIC COMMUNITIES
    $2,000,0002021 The Ford FoundationGeneral support to strengthen asset control and economic development for Native American people and their communities
    $1,825,0002024 Conrad N. Hilton Foundationto provide financial and technical support to organizations serving caregivers, young children, and providers in New Mexico
    $1,700,0002022 W.K. Kellogg Foundationoptimize Native communities, families and local control of both access and production to community food resources in ways that honor Native culture via supporting innovation and lifting indigenous practices in birthing, breastfeeding and food pathways in the context of tribal and federal policies
    $1,650,0002024 The Freeman FoundationGENERAL SUPPORT
    $1,600,0002021 The Colorado Health FoundationCHAMPION HEALTH EQUITY
    $1,600,0002020 Chan Zuckerberg Initiative FoundationNATIVE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT IN EDUCATION, MENTAL HEALTH AND IDENTITY
    $1,550,0002024 Margaret a Cargill FoundationSUPPORT FOR ITS WOVEN LANDS INITIATIVE
    $1,500,0002024 Weingart FoundationPooled Fund
    $1,500,0002022 Margaret A Cargill FoundationFirst Nations’ 2020-2023 Native Arts Initiative (NAI) aims to strengthen the assets of our partners and their contributions to culturally artistic core communities (CACCs) that are committed to supporting the artistic skill and cultural knowledge of emerging and established Native artists throughout the stages of intergenerational transmission of artistic skills and knowledge.
    $1,400,0002024 Doris Duke Charitable Foundation IncTo build the capacity of tribes and the Indigenous conservation field for co-stewardship and in the development of new conservation tools for Indigenous land protection
    $1,400,0002021 Novo FoundationGENERAL SUPPORT
    $1,350,0002021 Silicon Valley Community Foundation
    $1,350,0002020 Henry Luce FoundationCohort 3 – Supporting Public/Community Intellectuals in Native American Communities
    $1,200,0002022 Novo FoundationGENERAL SUPPORT
    $1,100,0002023 Margaret A Cargill FoundationThe purpose of the project is to demonstrate and learn from models of region-specific Indigenous traditional ecological knowledge practices in Alaska, the Pacific Northwest, the Upper Midwest, and the Southwest that build community-based climate resiliency and climate change-related disaster preparedness.
    $1,000,0002024 Adobe FoundationGeneral & Unrestricted

    All-time grants given statistics from Candid dataset:

    • Total Grant Value: $67,110,080
    • Number of Grants: 2,251
    • Number of Recipients: 812

    Selection of highest value grants given from the last seven years:

    AmountYearFunderSubject
    $750,0002025 Keres Children's Learning Center (KCLC)ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
    $450,0002025 Tewa Women UnitedECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
    $375,0002025 Changing Woman InitiativeECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
    $344,0002024 CHUGACH REGIONAL RESOURCES COMMISSIONECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
    $300,0002024 Lower Sioux Indian CommunityECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
    $300,0002024 Makah Cultural and Research CenterECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
    $300,0002024 Menominee Indian TribeECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
    $300,0002024 PUEBLO OF POJOAQUEECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
    $300,0002024 Tulalip FoundationECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
    $250,0002024 American Indian Community Housing OrganizationECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
    $250,0002024 Indian Pueblo Cultural CenterECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
    $250,0002024 Zuni Youth Enrichment ProjectECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
    $250,0002023 Aina MomonaECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
    $200,0002025 Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of OregonECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
    $200,0002025 Ka Ipu Makani Cultural Heritage CenterECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
    $200,0002025 Osage NationECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
    $200,0002025 Tule River Tribal CouncilECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
    $200,0002024 Hopi School IncECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
    $200,0002024 Malki Museum IncECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
    $200,0002024 TananawitECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
    $200,0002023 Waimea Hawaiian Homesteaders Association IncECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
    $160,0002025 Makah Cultural and Research CenterECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
    $160,0002025 PUEBLO OF POJOAQUEECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
    $160,0002025 Zuni Youth Enrichment ProjectECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
    $150,0002025 Minneapolis American Indian CenterECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

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    Financials, employee compensation, and grant information provided by Candid.

    Mentioned in this Article

    References

    1. “Our Values” First Nations Development Institute. https://www.firstnations.org/our-values/
    2. “Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax” Guidestar.org. Accessed November 22, 2020. Part I, Lines 8-12.
    3. “Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax” Guidestar.org. Accessed November 22, 2020. Part I, Line 22.
    4. “Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax” Guidestar.org. Accessed November 22, 2020. Part IX-B(2).
    5. “Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax” Guidestar.org. Accessed November 22, 2020. Schedule I. Part II (a) (214).
    6. “Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax” Guidestar.org. Accessed November 22, 2020. Part XV.
    7. “Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax” Guidestar.org. Accessed November 22, 2020. Schedule I. Part XV.
    8. “Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax” Guidestar.org. Accessed November 22, 2020. Schedule I. Part II(a) (690-691).
    9. “Technical Assistance Capacity Building” First Nations Development Institute.   https://www.firstnations.org/projects/technical-assistance-capacity-building/
    10. “Nourishing Native Foods & Health” First Nations Development Institute. https://www.firstnations.org/our-programs/nourishing-native-foods-health/
    11. “Advancing Household & Community Asset-Building Strategies” First Nations Development Institute. https://www.firstnations.org/our-programs/advancing-household-community-asset-building-strategies/
    12. “Combating Illegal Tax-Refund Scheme” First Nations Development Institute. https://www.firstnations.org/projects/combating-illegal-tax-refund-scheme/
    13. Foxworth, Raymond. “Protecting the Earth, Protecting Ourselves: Stories from Native America” Nonprofit Quarterly. March 9, 2020. Accessed November 22, 2020. https://nonprofitquarterly.org/protecting-the-earth-protecting-ourselves-stories-from-native-america/
    14.