Luce Indigenous Knowledge Fellowship Grant

The Luce Indigenous Knowledge Fellowship, launched by the First Nations Development Institute and the Henry Luce Foundation, supports Native knowledge holders and makers in their transformative work. With ten fellowships of $75,000 each, this two-year program fosters growth and collaboration across diverse fields such as agriculture, climate change, and cultural revitalization. Fellows will engage in community-building through required convenings, enhancing their leadership skills and professional networks to benefit Native communities.

In 2019, First Nations Development Institute (First Nations), in partnership with The Henry Luce Foundation (Luce), launched the Luce Indigenous Knowledge Fellowship to honor and support a select cohort of fellows as they work to further Native knowledge creation, dissemination, and perpetuation in Native communities.
The goal of the fellowship is to support exceptional leaders, knowledge holders, and knowledge makers who are doing noteworthy work to advance Indigenous knowledge and knowledge systems in diverse fields. The fellowship is intended to support individuals who are working to make broad, transformative impact and change in their diverse knowledge fields and within Native communities. By supporting the exceptional creativity, and progressive and critical thinking of knowledge holders and knowledge makers, the fellowship will grow a cadre of Indigenous knowledge leaders who are actively working to perpetuate Indigenous knowledge and knowledge systems for the benefit of Native communities and their respective knowledge fields.
First Nations will award 10 fellowships of $75,000 each to outstanding Native knowledge holders and knowledge makers engaged in meaningful work that benefits Native people and communities in either reservation and/or urban settings. For this fellowship, we define community broadly and may include the applicant’s Native community, knowledge field or community, etc.
The fellowship is a two-year, self-directed program designed to support the process of growth, development, knowledge, and networks of Indigenous knowledge leaders and thinkers. This unique fellowship will seek to support individuals from diverse knowledge fields, including but not limited to, agriculture, food systems, youth leadership development, natural resource management, climate change, economic development, STEM, journalism, language and cultural revitalization, traditional and contemporary arts, and more.
In addition to receiving financial support, fellows will convene three times a year to build connection and pool their collective knowledge and experience to create a community of practice that crosses fields, geographies, and tribal cultures. These three required convenings will give fellows the opportunity to engage in conversations intended to strengthen their leadership skills, reflect on their impact, share their learning and experiences, and promote enduring professional relationships. The cohort will empower fellows to overcome any geographic and cultural isolation they may experience by being a Native knowledge holder or knowledge maker, possibly as the only one in their field.
Fellows will be required to submit two formal reports at the end of year one and two.
Important note: The $75,000 fellowship is considered taxable income. Fellowship recipients will be responsible for all related taxes resulting from this award.

Eligibility

The fellowship is open to Native knowledge holders and knowledge makers who have a record of applying their knowledge field and work to engage with and support Native people and communities in either reservation and/or urban settings.To be eligible for the Luce Indigenous Knowledge Fellowship, applicants:Must be at least 18 years old.
Must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents.
Must be tribally affiliated with a Native American, Alaska Native, or Native Hawaiian community.
Must be actively engaged in the creation, dissemination, and perpetuation of knowledge in their field.
Should have a body of work that demonstrates experience or expertise within the knowledge field/area they are pursuing.
Must be able to clearly demonstrate how their work can impact and benefit a Native community or communities in the U.S. and U.S. Territories.
Must apply or be nominated as an individual, not on behalf of an organization or group.