Native Governance Center

We’re cultivating a Native nation rebuilding movement and working toward a future where all Indigenous people can thrive on their own terms. Will you join us?

Who we are: Native Governance Center is a Native-led nonprofit dedicated to assisting Native nations in strengthening their governance systems and capacity to exercise sovereignty. 

Who we serve: We support grassroots Native changemakers, elected Tribal leaders, and the 23 Native nations that share geography with Mni Sota Makoce (Minnesota), North Dakota, and South Dakota. We also create educational resources and host community events that are open to all, regardless of geographic location. Our educational programming reaches diverse individuals across the nation and world, each working to be better relatives and accomplices to Indigenous people.

We're building a movement: We’re working to cultivate a Native nation rebuilding movement. We envision this movement leading to a future where all Indigenous people can thrive on their own terms. We see abundance, restoration, community building, brainstorming, and centering Indigeneity as elements of this new future.

Our on-the-ground experience and our deep understanding of academic research tell us that Native nation rebuilding is a powerful strategy for transforming lives. The rebuilding framework consists of five research-based strategies for strengthening Indigenous governance. Native nations with stronger governance systems are better able to use their sovereignty to determine their own future and improve their quality of life. 

Our work: We deliver programming across multiple areas: Leadership Development, Tribal Governance Support, Community Engagement, and Tribal Finance. 

Leadership Development: We provide leadership development training for Indigenous changemakers through our Native Nation Rebuilders program.

Tribal Governance Support: We engage elected Tribal leaders, administrators, and citizens in strengthening their Tribal governance systems.

Community Engagement: We bring mission-driven, accessible, educational content to the broader community.

Tribal Finance: We help support Native nations in building their financial leadership and capacity.

Our Impact: We have been expanding our impact through Tribal governance support, community engagement resources, Tribal finance programming, and leadership development, among other focus areas. Here’s a sample of what we've accomplished:

• Our Leadership Development team continued supporting its current cohort of Native Nation Rebuilders all while recruiting new Indigenous changemakers to a network of over 200 Native Nation Rebuilders. 
• The Community Engagement team hosted scores of educational sessions on the most important issues facing Indian Country, helping to build allyship across the country.
• Our Tribal Finance program graduated the first cohort of Native nations and are now working with the second cohort to help improve their nations' financial systems.
• We delivered our Tribal Civics program to grassroots community leaders from two Native nations who are, in turn, building civic engagement in their communities.