About the program
Small grants, close to home.
Dawn Grants is a program of Native Dawn. It funds small projects that benefit Native communities, and offers support to the people who carry them out.
The microgrant idea
Why small grants?
A microgrant is a modest grant for a focused, practical project: work that one person, or a small group, can carry out for the community they care about.
Dawn Grants awards microgrants for projects intended to benefit Native communities. Those who come to us often bring a seed of hope: a vision to address an issue they see every day, or to create an opportunity that will serve the people around them.
Grants of up to
$5,000
for one small project that serves a Native community
Founded by Teika Carlson.
“Good ideas can come from anywhere, often from individuals with an idea to make something better in their own backyard, and larger grants can make this structurally challenging. This also encourages the idea of self-determination.”
When you apply or write, you reach the person who founded the program, and who is glad to help.
Who can apply
Open to anyone with an idea for a Native community.
Dawn Grants is open to anyone. Applying is free, and projects anywhere in the United States are welcome. Every application asks for two things:
- A clear explanation of how your project will help a Native community.
- A little about yourself, and why you are the right person to carry it out.
The first is the heart of every application: who your project serves, and how their lives will be better for it.
Support for grantees
The grant is yours to lead.
Grantees lead their own projects. Along the way, support in putting a project into action is available whenever a grantee asks for it, in whatever measure is most helpful.
Have an idea in mind?
Read how the application works, or write to us first if you would like to discuss your idea.