The Decolonizing Wealth Project is a far-left community organizing group that funds advocacy by community-based activist groups, including those associated with Native American communities and the Black Lives Matter movement. The organization was founded in 2019 by Edgar Villanueva and is named for his book, Decolonizing Wealth.

One of the organization’s largest campaigns is the Liberated Capital project, which distributes private donations to racial activism groups as “reparations” for historic racial injustices. Liberated Capital claims to have raised more than $5 million as of March 2022. Decolonizing Wealth Project is sponsored by Allied Media Projects. ^{1 2}

Background

The Decolonizing Wealth Project was founded in 2019 and is based on principles articulated by founder Edgar Villanueva in his 2018 book, Decolonizing Wealth: Indigenous Wisdom to Heal Divides and Restore Balance. Villanueva attacked the $1 trillion philanthropic community as one that “mirrors oppressive colonial behavior” and reflects “racist colonial dynamics.” He published “Seven Steps to Healing” that call for funds to be directed to minority- and Native American-led organizations. ^{3 4}

Activities

The Decolonizing Wealth project is fiscally sponsored by Allied Media Projects and operates several campaigns including Liberated Capital, a large grant distribution effort, and the Indigenous Earth Fund, which plans to give $1 million to Native American-led organizations to advocate for left-of-center environmental policies. ⁵

Liberated Capital

Liberated Capital is the largest campaign of the Decolonizing Wealth Project and consists of both advocating for far-left social policies such as reparations as well as distributing funds to left-leaning Native American activist and Black Lives Matter-connected organizations. A fundraising page for Liberated Capital states that the campaign has raised $5.4 million as of March 2022. ⁶

Reparations

The Decolonizing Wealth Project supports financial reparations by the United States government to the descendants of slaves and displaced Native Americans. The organization has established a #Case4Reparations campaign as part of its larger Liberated Capital campaign that contends that the “United States was built on a history and practice of enslavement, genocide, and extraction of and from Indigenous peoples and African descendants—resulting in more than 400 years of policies and practices that have fueled economic extraction and systemic violence in Indigenous and Black communities.” ⁷

The advisory committee for the #Case4Reparations campaign includes Michelle Crentsil, the political director for the New York State Nurses Association; Kassandra Frederique, the executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance;  and Kwesi Chappin, former senior political director at Color of Change. ⁸

Organizations Funded

Grantees of the Decolonizing Wealth Project include the American Indian Center, the Native American Family and Youth Center, the HeSapa Voter Initiative, the California Native Vote Project, Pueblo Action Alliance, the Movement for Black Lives, Black Visions, Black Voters Matter Capacity Institute, Alliance for Educational Justice, the New Georgia Project, Center for Native American Youth, and She the People. ⁹

1. Liberated Capital Grantees.” Decolonizing Wealth Project. Accessed March 2, 2022. https://decolonizingwealth.com/liberated-capital/grantees/
2. “Liberated Capital: A Decolonizing Wealth Project Fund.” Grapevine. Accessed March 2, 2022. https://www.grapevine.org/giving-circle/3y6hD5/Liberated-Capital-A-Decolonizing-Wealth-Project-Fund
3. “7 Steps to Healing.” Decolonizing Wealth Project. Accessed March 2, 2022. https://decolonizingwealth.com/7-steps-to-healing/
4. Villanueva. Edgar. “Decolonizing Wealth: Indigenous Wisdom to Heal Divides and Restore Balance.” Amazon. Accessed March 2, 2022. https://www.amazon.com/Decolonizing-Wealth-Second-Indigenous-Divides/dp/152309141X/ref=asc_df_152309141X/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=508977995883&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=1917180507315684684&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9008192&hvtargid=pla-1489516659752&psc=1
5. “About.” Decolonizing Wealth Project. Accessed March 2, 2022. https://decolonizingwealth.com/about/
6. ^[1]  “Liberating Capital: A Decolonizing Wealth Project Fund.” Grapevine. Accessed March 2, 2022. https://www.grapevine.org/giving-circle/3y6hD5/Liberated-Capital-A-Decolonizing-Wealth-Project-Fund
7. “Case4Reparations.” Decolonizing Wealth Project. Accessed March 2, 2022  https://decolonizingwealth.com/liberated-capital/case4reparations/
8. “Case4Reparations.” Decolonizing Wealth Project. Accessed March 2, 2022  https://decolonizingwealth.com/liberated-capital/case4reparations/
9. “Liberated Capital Grantees.” Decolonizing Wealth Project. Accessed March 2, 2022. https://decolonizingwealth.com/liberated-capital/grantees/