Colorado Plateau Foundation

Colorado Plateau Foundation: Empowering Tribal Communities

Tribal communities served by the fund include:

Acoma

Havasupai

Hopi

Hualapai

Kaibab Paiute

Navajo

Ute Mountain Ute

White Mountain Apache

Zuni

Home to 10 National Parks and 18 National Monuments, the area known as the Colorado Plateau Province covers 130,000 square miles of the Four Corners region of the southwestern United States. One-third of the Colorado Plateau lies within sovereign control of several tribes and interests of tribal communities of the Plateau extend far beyond the politically designated boundaries of reservations. 

Pressure from energy development and unchecked growth threatens the Colorado Plateau environment and the traditional ways of tribal communities. Native-run grassroots initiatives are emerging as partners in dealing with these threats and the Colorado Plateau Foundation was established to help these community-based organizations respond to urgent and evolving needs.

2018 Colorado Plateau Foundation grant cycle is now open

The Colorado Plateau Foundation's 2018 grant cycle is accepting applications from Native-led organizations working in four priority areas on the Colorado Plateau:

  •  Protection of water
  • Protection of sacred places and threatened landscapes
  • Preservation of Native languages
  • Sustainable community-based agriculture

The deadline for applications is September 28, 2018, at 5 p.m. Mountain Standard Time. Please review the application and grant guidelines for instructions on submitting and eligibility.

Previous grant awards from the Colorado Plateau Foundation

The Colorado Plateau Foundation awarded $280,000 in 2016.

The Hopi Tutskwa Permaculture Institute was among the organizations that received grant funding. The Institute's programs emphasize permaculture design, orchard restoration, rainwater harvesting, natural building, and youth sustainability. 

Other recent grant recipients included: 

  • The Advancing Communities Foundation that received funding for capacity building training for Hopi aquifer restoration 
  • The Black Mesa Trust is using their grant for discussion about corporate influence on the Hopi reservation
  • The Ramah Navajo School Board received support for the Ramah Navajo Family Gardens Training Initiative.
  • Tolani Lake Enterprises received funding for capacity building for a 12,000-acre farm in Manyfarms and the purchase of farm equipment and new technology. 
  • Native Movement received a grant for the Black Mesa Water Coalition Organizing Fellowship program
  • Mesa Media, Utah Diné Bikeyah, Pueblo of Acoma, and the White Mountain Apache Tribe Environmental Protection Office received grants related to professional growth.
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