When we began building the Tribal Funding Registry in May 2024, we believed we were creating a practical tool to better support our communities. At its core, it was designed to be a free, searchable grants database that would expand access to funding information and make it easier for Tribal Nations and Native-led organizations to find opportunities aligned with their realities and priorities. But in early 2025, as the federal funding landscape shifted in significant ways, it became clear that our work needed to meet a deeper moment. We were not just building a product. We were being called to build reliable, community-centered infrastructure. In response, we adapted quickly, stepping in with more hands-on support to help our partners navigate uncertainty and make informed decisions about their funding strategies.

From the beginning, this work has been co-designed with the communities we serve, shaped through user interviews, early access partnerships, and ongoing feedback. Since our launch in March 2025, we have been honored by the trust our communities have placed in us to support their work and help connect their projects with meaningful opportunities. Today, we continue to advance our theory of change centered on dual visibility. This means strengthening pathways for Native communities to access the hundreds of billions of dollars in annual philanthropic giving, while also creating clearer opportunities for philanthropy to listen, learn, and align resources with the priorities identified by Indigenous communities themselves.