Armed with hundreds of thousands of dollars from Newman’s Own Foundation and Ozempic creator Novo Nordisk , young Native Americans are leading the fight against persistently high rates of food insecurity in tribal communities.

In a rare example of agency for a beneficiary community, 21 emerging Indigenous leaders recently crafted selection criteria, evaluated applicants and picked two dozen finalists to split a pool of $720,000. Organized by Native Americans in Philanthropy, the 16-to-24-year-old participants said the inclusive process reflected Indian Country values of self-determination and intergenerational relationship-building that more donors should embrace.

“Funders can listen to native youth to know where they should direct resources,” said Native Americans in Philanthropy

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