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Dear Friend,
Indigenous Peoples are the most under-resourced group to receive philanthropic dollars, receiving less than half of one percent of total foundation dollars. Despite being systemically underfunded, Indigenous Peoples and Indigenous-led organizations, like Cultural Survival, persevere to provide meaningful on-the-ground support to elevate Indigenous grassroots solutions to build a better world for all. Our 50-year legacy of advocating for Indigenous Peoples’ rights and supporting Indigenous self-determination, cultures, and political resilience is in part thanks to you, our community, who make our work possible. When you make a gift to Cultural Survival, it is an act of solidarity, love, compassion, and activism.
If you have not made your end-of-year gift yet, here are 5 reasons to support Indigenous Peoples and our planet today!
1. Climate chaos is destroying Mother Earth, entire ecosystems, and the web of life. While we are all facing the consequences of climate change, Indigenous Peoples are on the frontlines, directly experiencing the devastating effects of climate change as it is impacting their food systems, traditional lifeways, and livelihoods. Supporting Indigenous-led solutions and circular economies is an investment in the planet’s and our collective well being.
2. Indigenous stewardship is vital to the health of our planet. Indigenous Peoples represent just 6.2% of the global population, yet hold tenure over 25% of the world’s land surface, steward 80% of the world’s biodiversity, and manage at least 24% of the total carbon stored above ground in the world’s tropical forests. Indigenous sacred sites are some of the most biodiverse places on the planet.
3. The protection and transmission of Traditional Knowledge is key to solving today’s challenges. Indigenous Peoples hold millennial-old knowledge and are the best experts and stewards of their environments and understand how to maintain balance and equity in the natural world.
4. Biodiversity has a direct link to cultural diversity. Biocultural diversity is a result of the interdependent relationship between people, places, cultures, and ecology, and is reflected across Indigenous territories worldwide. Indigenous Peoples speak 4,000 of the world's 7,000 languages, and those languages hold vital, placed-based Traditional Knowledge about how to steward and sustain entire ecosystems. UNESCO predicts that up to 90% of Indigenous languages will disappear by the end of this century if action is not taken now. The International Decade of Indigenous Languages (2022-2032) started on January 1, 2022, and its success will be measured by the creation of new speakers of Indigenous languages.
5. Indigenous women are the backbone of resilient communities. Indigenous women have always been the sources of creation and redistribution. Women typically reinvest 90% of their incomes back into their families, compared to just 35% by men. When we invest in women’s rights, health, and well being, it creates a positive ripple effect that lifts up families and entire communities. Investing in rematriation, and Indigenous women’s leadership supports a global shift of consciousness that enables the holistic protection of our lands, waters, and air.
(Our Reach: Red- Indigenous Community Media Fund Grant Partners, Navy- Keepers of the Earth Fund Grant Partners, Yellow- Youth Fellows, Green- Bazaar Artists)
6. Between today and Dec 31, your donation will be matched dollar for dollar up to $10,000! Your doubled donation will directly support Indigenous communities around the world. Cultural Survival supports grassroots Indigenous solutions to protect, respect, and fulfill the rights of Indigenous Peoples, and your financial gift ensures that they have the resources and tools necessary to protect their dynamic cultures, languages, spiritual traditions, artistic expressions, and self-determination. In 2022, our Keepers of the Earth Fund supported 66 projects in 20 countries in climate change mitigation, food sovereignty, language and art revitalization, and land defense, totaling $308,067. Our Indigenous Community Media Fund supported 40 media projects in 16 countries totaling $248,000.
We have an ambitious goal to raise $250,000 by December 31, 2022. Join us in meeting that goal by partnering with us to ensure a more just, resilient, and healthy world for the next seven generations. December 31 is the end of the tax year and every charitable gift you make to Cultural Survival, no matter how large or small, is tax-deductible! Become a member by making a gift of $25+ today, and receive four issues of our award-winning publication, the Cultural Survival Quarterly, in 2023.
We recognize the challenging times we are all in and are deeply grateful for your continued partnership to resource, support, and uphold Indigenous rights. Your gifts of time, money, and dedication to Cultural Survival enable us to support Indigenous communities across the globe and elevate Indigenous self-determination, leadership, voices, and grassroots solutions to address the chaos that exists in our world today. Thank you!
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