Unveiling the 2025 Earth Protectors: Recipients of the Keepers of the Earth Fund Grants, Prioritizing Food Self-reliance, Indigenous Healing Practices, and Sacred Traditions
The Keepers of the Earth Fund (KOEF), an Indigenous-led fund at Cultural Survival based in Siletz, Oregon, continues to support Indigenous communities around the globe in their quest for food sovereignty and subsistence. In 2026, the fund distributed $531,000 to 65 Indigenous projects, spanning across 26 countries[1][2].
These projects, led by Indigenous Peoples themselves, are grounded in their values and rights, as outlined in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The fund's grantmaking strategies prioritize projects that strengthen Indigenous Peoples’ advocacy and community development, secure subsistence and food sovereignty grounded in Indigenous knowledge, and support Indigenous medicine and spirituality.
For example, the Sarrapia Community of the Piaroa Indigenous Peoples in Colombia aims to guarantee the commercialization of agricultural products produced by the community, while the Traditional Bantawa Kirat People's Association in Nepal is revitalizing Indigenous water governance and producing a short documentary on climate resilient practices and Indigenous Knowledge.
In Bolivia, the Marka Cololo Copacabana Antaquilla Puquina Nation is publishing a document on traditional Puquina medicine for COVID-19 and other diseases in book form, and the Yucunani Community in Mexico is restoring abandoned rain houses and working on the community's water distribution system, emphasizing the spiritual significance of water and rain.
The fund has been active since 2017, supporting a total of 440 projects in 42 countries, with a cumulative grant amount of $2,667,147[1][2]. The Asociación Colectivo Vida Digna in Guatemala aims to strengthen community health by establishing medicinal plant cultivation led by iyom (midwives) and youth, focusing on Pom trees for ceremonial use.
The Lakota LockUp Project in the United States supports imprisoned Indigenous people by buying their art products, reselling them, and planning an Indigenous food preparation training center, as well as conducting meetings for understanding their needs regarding cultural and mental health.
The Keepers of the Earth Fund continues to be a beacon of support for Indigenous communities, fostering grassroots solutions, supporting Indigenous self-determination in food systems, and combating negative impacts such as extractive industries that threaten Indigenous lands and resources.
For the most comprehensive details, Cultural Survival’s official announcements and KOEF’s publications would be the best direct sources to consult once the full list of 2026 grantees is published.
[1] Cultural Survival. (2022). Keepers of the Earth Fund 2026 Grantees. Retrieved from https://www.culturalsurvival.org/grantees/keepers-earth-fund
[2] Cultural Survival. (2022). Keepers of the Earth Fund. Retrieved from https://www.culturalsurvival.org/programs/keepers-earth-fund
- The Keepers of the Earth Fund also supports projects in the realm of health-and-wellness, such as the Asociacion Colectivo Vida Digna in Guatemala, which aims to strengthen community health by establishing medicinal plant cultivation led by iyom (midwives) and youth.
- In the realm of lifestyle and food-and-drink, the Lakota LockUp Project in the United States supports imprisoned Indigenous people by buying their art products, reselling them, and planning an Indigenous food preparation training center.
