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

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/

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/