About Us

Celebrating Indigenous Peoples' Self-Determination

Today, our purpose remains as our founders originally envisioned:
dedicated to Indigenous Peoples' self-determination and the sovereignty of Native nations.

Founded in 1977, the Seventh Generation Fund for Indigenous Peoples emerged from a call from Indigenous communities in the Americas during the cultural, social and political renaissance era of the 1960’s and 1970’s. Leaders of the time, such as our primary founder, the late Daniel Bomberry (Salish/Cayuga), included chiefs, clan mothers, youth and community activists who established the organization to respond to the needs of grassroots Indigenous communities and initiatives engaged in cultural revitalization, leadership development, tribal sovereignty, and culturally appropriate economic development strategies. Seventh Generation Fund grew and evolved into the foremost Indigenous non-profit/social-profit organization in the United States.

We have long recognized the critical need at the Native grassroots community level for access to resources, technical assistance and training to address an overall need for healthy and sustainable environments. Our work throughout the Americas has consistently been based on traditional Native concepts of holistic ecological stewardship. Seventh Generation Fund and the communities we serve have long understood the direct relationships between a healthy environment, social justice and community well-being. We remain focused on supporting grassroots development through Native community empowerment and action.

Our organization derives its name from a precept of the Great Law of Peace of the Haudenosaunee (Six Nations Iroquois Confederacy) which mandates that chiefs consider the impact of their decisions on the seventh generation yet to come. This principle guides us in our frontline work with all the grassroots Native communities we support in revitalization, restoration, preservation, planning and development projects.