Frequently Asked Questions

Nia Tero is an international nonprofit established in 2017. Our purpose is to support Indigenous Peoples' guardianship, which is the most-proven way to keep the planet livable for humanity.

OUR MISSION is to directly support Indigenous Peoples’ guardianship and elevate the role and influence of Indigenous Peoples as essential to ensuring planetary health and habitability. 

OUR VISION is that Indigenous Peoples’ guardianship is enabled everywhere possible on Earth as part of a just and vibrant future.

Nia Tero depends on funder support to make our work possible. Our donors are large and small, individual and institutional. We are proud to have the funding support of several organizations, including the Mulago Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation, Emerson Collective, the Bezos Earth Fund, and philanthropists like MacKenzie Scott.

Nia Tero supports Indigenous organizations and their trusted allies to secure Indigenous Peoples' guardianship in Africa, Amazonia, the Pasifik and North America. We also work with Indigenous Peoples on policy and storytelling at regional, national, and global levels. 

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Nia Tero provides direct funding via grants and contracts to Indigenous Peoples' organizations, networks, and their trusted allies worldwide. We are also actively growing an emerging field of practice to increase recognition of Indigenous Peoples' vital role in maintaining a healthy and habitable planet.  

We also work globally through policy and storytelling initiatives and the Wayfinders Circle, which gathers 15 member communities from across the world in conjunction with the Pawanka Fund and World Union of Indigenous Spiritual Practitioners.

Indigenous Peoples’ guardianship is the best-proven, time-tested solution for a healthy planet.

We use the term “guardianship” to describe the ways in which Indigenous Peoples care for their ancestral lands and waters.  

Indigenous Peoples' guardianship is rooted in the kinship between humanity and the rest of the natural world. It is no coincidence that many of the world's healthiest, most vital ecosystems are in the hands of Indigenous Peoples.

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The interconnected crises of climate change, biodiversity loss, and widespread social injustice threaten humanity's vibrant future. To tackle this crisis, we need transformative change across all sectors. Science points to Indigenous Peoples’ guardianship as the only time-tested way for peoples and places to thrive.

Studies show that lands managed by Indigenous communities often fare better regarding biodiversity and ecological balance. Despite accounting for only 6 percent of the global population, Indigenous Peoples care for over a quarter of the Earth’s lands, sustaining at least 40 percent of the most intact ecosystems on Earth, which are essential for combatting threats posed by climate change and ecosystem destruction.

Since Indigenous Peoples receive less than 1 percent of all philanthropic funding, focusing on and uplifting these communities becomes even more critical. 

Through our work, Indigenous Peoples have gained legal recognition, increased economic opportunities, and increased participation in policy-making processes that affect their lands and lives.  

We have partnerships with 274 distinct Indigenous Peoples, who are the protectors of ecologically rich territories covering 130 million hectares of lands and waters, sequestering approximately 24.4 gigatons of carbon. That’s an area three times the size of California and the carbon equivalent of approximately 5.4 billion vehicles. 

Since 2017, Nia Tero has awarded $125 million in grants directly to Indigenous Peoples and their trusted allies.  

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We envision a future where Indigenous Peoples are recognized as essential leaders in global sustainability dialogues and actions. We aim to facilitate a worldwide policy and public perception shift that elevates Indigenous wisdom, practices, and rights, integrating them into mainstream environmental governance and social justice frameworks. 

Through our work, we aspire to establish new paradigms of community-based, eco-centric development that actively contribute to global efforts combating climate change, preserving biodiversity, and fostering economic equity — ultimately leading to a more harmonious, sustainable world for all. 

Contributions can take multiple forms— including financial donations or advocacy for the power of Indigenous guardianship. 

Nia Tero joined this movement that Indigenous Peoples have been powering for generations; by supporting this work, you become a critical partner in sustaining the world's vital ecosystems and the diverse cultures that guard them. 

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