2025 Annual Report
A Year
of Braiding
Welcome
Our shared future on Earth depends on Indigenous Peoples’ guardianship of their ancestral lands and waters.
CEO ‘Aulani Wilhelm shares how Nia Tero braids Indigenous Peoples’ guardianship into everything we do.
Vision
Enable Indigenous Peoples’ guardianship everywhere possible on Earth as part of a just and vibrant future.
Mission
Directly support Indigenous Peoples’ guardianship and elevate the role and influence of Indigenous Peoples as essential to ensuring planetary health and habitability.
40% of the world’s remaining large, intact ecosystems are found within lands and waters sustained by Indigenous Peoples.
2025 – A Year of Braiding
Nia Tero continued the important work of interlacing People, Places and Policy in 2025 to strengthen and grow Indigenous Peoples’ guardianship globally.
The braid derives its power from our Five-Year Strategy, which launched at the beginning of 2025 and includes three simple but ambitious goals:
Assemblage of Partnerships
- Guardianship of Place
- Regional Networks & Hubs
- Organizational Strengthening
Influence & Amplify
- Integrated Communications
- Policy & Advocacy
- Research & Evaluation
Strengthen Nia Tero
- Program Delivery
- Fundraising
- Management
Assemblage of Partnerships
Guardianship of Place • Regional Networks & Hubs • Organizational Strengthening
The first strand of Nia Tero’s braid originates in the regions where we work and from the people and partners we engage.
We call this strand the “Assemblage of Partnerships.”
Amazonia
Nia Tero works with our partners to advance Indigenous Peoples' guardianship of the Amazon – home to the world’s largest tropical rainforest and a biome nearly the size of the contiguous United States.
$14M+
In Grants
69.8M
Hectares
64
Partners
2025 HIGHLIGHT
With financial, technical and policy support from Nia Tero, the Indigenous Peoples of the Kaxuyana-Tunayana communities won an important 20-year battle for official recognition, or “demarcation,” of traditional territory under law in Brazil. The announcement dominated news at COP30 in Belém.
Read More
VIDEO HIGHLIGHT
Casa Maraká serves as a place for Indigenous Media Makers to gather as well as create and own their stories. (2 mins.)
The future of the Amazon is inseparable from the futures of the Indigenous Peoples who have shaped it for generations. Nia Tero stands alongside them, and is inspired and guided by their leadership and vision.
Pasifik
Nia Tero works with partners in the Pasifik whose guardianship has protected their ancestral lands and waters for millennia.
$2.8M+
In Grants
9.2M+
Hectares of Lands and Waters
29
Partners
2025 HIGHLIGHT
The International Court of Justice issued a landmark ruling affirming that countries have a legal obligation to address climate change. This historic victory was shaped by Nia Tero partner Blue Ocean Law, with decisive support from Vanuatu’s Minister of Climate Change, Ralph Regenvanu, a member of Nia Tero’s Advisory Council.
Read More
VIDEO HIGHLIGHT
The Islands Knowledge Institute convened leaders to discuss Indigenous Constitutionalism. (3 mins.)
The Pasifik is vast and diverse, with thousands of largely majority-Indigenous islands with distinct knowledge, languages, cultures and customs. Nia Tero's work with Indigenous Peoples of the Pasifik is rooted in an understanding that they are the best time-tested guardians of their territories.
North America
Nia Tero partners with Tribes, First Nations and Native-led organizations throughout North America to strengthen their guardianship in ways that respect Indigenous sovereignty.
$1.7M+
In Grants
22.6M
Hectares
10
Partners
2025 HIGHLIGHT
The Heiltsuk Nation in northern British Columbia, Canada merges Indigenous knowledge with contemporary marine science to monitor marine ecosystems, enforce stewardship laws and protect critical habitats.
Read More
VIDEO HIGHLIGHT
Blackfeet ECO Knowledge embarked on an extensive Virtual Reality project to share generational knowledge. (3 mins.)
Nia Tero works with key partners to strengthen Indigenous Peoples’ guardianship in North America by reinforcing tribal sovereignty, supporting cultural revitalization, undoing the harms of colonialism and more. Guardianship is a multifaceted action plan amplified by these key partnerships.
Africa
With lands and waters rich in biodiversity and recognized as the cradle of humanity, Nia Tero’s newest regional program supports partners to strengthen Indigenous Peoples' guardianship in Africa.
$862K+
In Grants
1M+
Hectare Goal
12
Initial Partnerships
2025 HIGHLIGHT
Nia Tero established a new Africa program in 2025 to focus on growing partnerships, strengthening communities and strategic storytelling with the goal of ensuring 1 million hectares of homelands are under the guardianship of Indigenous pastoralists and hunter-gatherers.
Read More
VIDEO HIGHLIGHT
In Northern Kenya, Gabbra women celebrated together with traditional song. (3 mins.)
Our Africa program approach begins with understanding the interconnection of Indigenous Peoples and the places they call home. We work with partners to strengthen their guardianship of ancestral lands and waters in a way that respects Indigenous Peoples’ self-determination.
Wayfinders Circle
The Wayfinders Circle is a global network of Indigenous Peoples committed to caring for Earth. It is supported by Nia Tero, the Pawanka Fund and the World Union of Indigenous Spiritual Practitioners.
$1M+
In Grants
38.8M
Hectares of Lands and Waters
15
Wayfinders Circle Members
2025 HIGHLIGHT
Wayfinders Circle members gathered in the village of Sungai Utik in Indonesian Borneo to experience daily life, practice ceremony and discuss the vital transmission of knowledge from elders to youth. Read More
VIDEO HIGHLIGHT
In 2025, the Wayfinders Circle marked five years as a successful initiative. (4 mins.)
The Wayfinders Circle first convened on Zoom because of the pandemic. Now, five years later, it is a close-knit network of Indigenous Peoples from around the world sharing ancestral wisdom that is essential for addressing today’s most pressing problems.
Influence & Amplify
Integrated Communications • Policy & Advocacy • Research & Evaluation
The second major strand in our Five-Year Strategy weaves Indigenous Peoples’ guardianship into the fields of conservation, development, philanthropy and social justice to influence decision making and amplify the voices of Indigenous Peoples globally.
We call this strand of the braid “Influence & Amplify.”
INTEGRATED Communications
Nia Tero premiered the award-winning feature documentary “Remathau: People of the Ocean” at the Hawai’i International Film Festival, where the film took home one of the top prizes.
103
Film Festival Screenings Globally
1,200
Social Media Posts
5.1M
Impressions
Nia Tero brings its unique production capacity to multiple platforms, including premiering the award-winning feature documentary “Remathau: People of the Ocean” at the Hawai’i International Film Festival, where the film took home one of the top prizes. Read More
VIDEO HIGHLIGHT
A quick look back at the integrated communications team success in 2025 (1 min).
We collaborate with our Indigenous partners and their allies to co-create powerful content that has the potential to reach broad audiences. Our collective goal is to tell the rich variety of stories about the people and communities leading the charge to protect their homelands and waters.
Policy & Advocacy
Nia Tero lowers barriers Indigenous Peoples face in policymaking by amplifying Indigenous voices in regional, national and international policy arenas.
20
Training Sessions
7,500
Registrants
100
Countries/Territories
2025 HIGHLIGHT
Nia Tero's Policy Team and partners held more than 20 hybrid training sessions to strengthen Indigenous Peoples’ representation in global forums with 7,500 registrants representing 100 territories – a new record.
Read More
VIDEO HIGHLIGHT
The “Promise” campaign calls attention to the crucial role of Indigenous Peoples’ guardianship in protecting Earth’s biodiversity. (4 mins.)
Indigenous Peoples’ rights must be respected in global policy forums because they hold up our planet for all of us. Yet, they face constant existential threat. That is why Nia Tero is committed to advancing effective Indigenous representation in policy spaces where decisions are made that ultimately affect Indigenous Peoples’ futures.
Research & EVALUATION
Across fields of study, research supports a foundational universal tenet of Indigenous Peoples’ guardianship – that reciprocity-rooted relationships with our planet's lands and waters are vital for our collective health. Investing in research and measuring the impact of Indigenous knowledge and lifeways is a key part of our Five-Year Strategy.
$1.1M
Invested in 2025
9
Indigenous Academic Authors
4
Initial Institutional Partners
Nia Tero’s Research Team focused in 2025 on: Laying the groundwork for Indigenous Peoples' Guardianship as a recognized field of study; Amplifying Indigenous voices in academic research and publications; And increasing the visibility of Indigenous Peoples’ guardianship with partners including the American Museum of Natural History, Arizona State University and the California Academy of Sciences. Read More
Despite countless threats to their lives, rights and the places they call home, Indigenous Peoples have long held up the planet for all of us. (3 mins)
There is growing consensus that Indigenous Peoples’ guardianship is vital for our planet's health and habitability. This is not anecdotal. The research on this is increasingly clear.
Strengthen Nia Tero
Program Delivery • Fundraising • Management
Nia Tero’s weave of global impact depends upon our strength as an organization and our relationships with our partners, allies and donors.
We refer to this third and final strand of our work as “Strengthen Nia Tero.”
FINANCIALS
This strand ties together our financial commitment to our partners in the form of direct funding and technical support with our program delivery and management – all supporting Indigenous Peoples’ guardianship everywhere possible on earth.
~90%
in direct funding to Indigenous Peoples and their chosen allies.
~10%
supporting Indigenous Peoples' guardianship globally.
GrantS By Region
Grants also weave into our commitment to organizational strengthening by helping build regional hubs and networks for Indigenous-led organizations and their allies.
2025 NIA TERO’S BRAID OF GLOBAL IMPACT
274
Distinct Indigenous Peoples
236
Grants (Includes Multi-year Grants)
90
Organizations Awarded Grants
130M+
Hectares of Lands and Waters Under Indigenous Peoples' Guardianship
46
Biocultural Settings Supported
24.4
Gigatons of CO₂ Sequestered
Letter from our Board Chair
Kia ora and hello Nia Tero supporter,
Whether you’re an Indigenous partner, donor, advocate, ally or other stakeholder in our work, I thank you for taking the time to learn more about Nia Tero’s footprint in 2025.
Fittingly, this year’s “Braids” theme offers an opportunity to see how all our work and Five-Year strategy are interconnected by an important and consistent throughline – advancing Indigenous Peoples’ guardianship.
Our planet needs Indigenous knowledge now more than ever to guide us through the crises that threaten the health of the world we leave behind for future generations. The work our Indigenous partners are doing across the globe is rooted in the understanding that living in reciprocity with the places they call home is the only time-tested and effective pathway forward.
Next year marks our 10th anniversary as an organization. To succeed in supporting our Indigenous partners now and for years to come, we need your help. Again, thank you for joining us on this journey.
Joe Williams (Māori, Aotearoa)
Nia Tero Board Chair
Leadership
Nia Tero is headquartered in Seattle in the U.S., with our Executive Team based in the Pasifik and North America.
Our Executive Team and Board of Directors include Indigenous and non-Indigenous leaders with expertise in a variety of fields. The Board's Indigenous representation include the Cherokee, Māori, Miskita, Kanaka Ōiwi, Quinault, Kankanaey Igorot, Waorani and Wayana Peoples. The Board provides oversight and sets policy for the entire organization.
Our global Advisory Council, comprised of Indigenous leaders and allies from around the world, provides additional guidance and wisdom to our executives and Board.
EXECUTIVE TEAM
- ‘Aulani Wilhelm (Kanaka ‘Ōiwi, Hawai’i), Chief Executive Officer
- Chris Filardi, Chief Research Officer
- Jessica Schroeder, Chief Administrative Officer
- Kāwika Riley (Kanaka ‘Ōiwi, Hawai’i), Chief Communications and Engagement Officer
- Lauren Guzauskas, Chief Development Officer
- Margarita Mora, Chief Program Officer
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
- Anne Marie Burgoyne
- Brenda Toineeta Pipestem (Cherokee, U.S.)
- Fawn Sharp (Quinault, U.S.)
- Joseph Williams (Māori, Aotearoa)
- Jupta Itoewaki (Wayana, Suriname)
- Michael Crow
- Myrna Cunningham Kain (Miskita, Nicaragua)
- Nainoa Thompson (Kanaka ‘Ōiwi, Hawai’i)
- Nemonte Nenquimo (Waorani, Ecuador)
- Peter Seligmann
- Roger Sant
- Vicky Tauli-Corpuz (Kankanaey Igorot, Philippines)
- Yo-Yo Ma
ADVISORY COUNCIL
- Aroha Te Pareake Mead (Māori, Aotearoa)
- Dominique Bikaba (Bashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo)
- Gunn-Britt Retter (Saami, Norway)
- Joji Cariño (Ibaloi-Igorot, Philippines)
- Laura Hattendorf
- Ole Kaunga Mali (Maasai, Kenya)
- Ralph Regenvanu (Uripiv of Malakua Island, Vanuatu)
- Sherri Mitchell (Penobscot, U.S.)
- Stephanie Platz
- Viviana Figueroa (Omaguaca-Kolla, Argentina)