LONGMONT, Colo. — First Nations Development Institute was selected by tech giant Apple Inc. as one of the new recipients of funding via its Racial Equity and Justice Initiative.
The program provides support to students, innovators and advocacy organizations based on “creating a more inclusive, more just world.” Apple’s original investment in the Racial Equity and Justice Initiative was $100 million, but it recently increased that commitment by an additional $30 million.
First Nations was among three new recipients of funding from Apple focused on “advancing environmental justice, and advocating for communities most impacted by climate change and environmental disparities.”
Want more news like this? Get the free weekly newsletter.
Neither Apple nor First Nations disclosed the amount of the investment.
“First Nations has been working over the last four decades to invest in innovative solutions that strengthen Native American economies and communities,” said Michael Roberts, president and CEO of First Nations Development Institute. “We are honored to have Apple’s support in continuing our mission to promote economic development, safety, and health in our communities.”
The First Nations Development Institute works to strengthen tribal economies and support Native communities through a variety of programs and initiatives focused on food sovereignty, health, household asset-building, community building, investing in Native youth, financial empowerment and Native land stewardship.
For the nonprofit’s fiscal year ending June 30, 2020, it reported gross receipts of more than $15.9 million, according to federal tax filings.
Roberts said the funding from Apple specifically will help to bolster First Nations’ environmental, ecological and economic development programming.
“First Nations will use funding to support Native ecological stewardship and improve Native control of and access to ancestral lands and resources to ensure the sustainable, economic, spiritual and cultural well-being of Native communities,” he said. “Funding will go to support our grantees’ environmental justice programs, including projects to balance ecological stewardship and economic development, as well as land stewardship programs.”
Other funding recipients included the Hispanic Access Foundation and the Center for Rural Enterprise and Environmental Justice.
As well, the funding follows Apple’s recent selection of 15 BIPOC-owned businesses focused on green technology and clean energy to join its Impact Accelerator to support equity and opportunity in the environmental sector. The three-month virtual program offers companies customized training and access to Apple experts with the goal that participating companies will be considered for opportunities to supply the tech firm in the future.
Indigenous-led companies named to the Impact Accelerator included Oceti Sakowin Power Authority, an independent, nonprofit governmental entity formed by six Sioux tribes to jointly develop tribal renewable energy resources in the Dakotas, and L2S Engineering LLC, a Native American-, woman-owned mechanical, electrical, and plumbing engineering design firm that provides services in multiple states and helps clients minimize their carbon footprint.
According to Lisa Jackson, vice president of environment, policy, and social initiatives at Apple, the tech giant sees investments in organizations like First Nations as crucial to working toward racial equity.
“Education, economic opportunity, and environmental justice are fundamental pillars to ensuring racial equity, and everyone has a role to play in this critical mission,” Jackson said. “We are focused on advancing enduring change, and our newest grant commitments will further that effort by supporting problem solvers and solution seekers in communities of color nationwide.”
