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[RAPID CITY, SD] – First Peoples Fund, one of the oldest national organizations dedicated to
supporting Native American artists and culture bearers, proudly unveils its roster of 2024 fellowship recipients. Selected from a pool of exceptional candidates, fifteen (15) artists have been chosen for the Artist in Business Leadership Fellowship and eleven (11) artists have been awarded the Cultural Capital Fellowship. As part of their fellowship, each artist will receive a $10,000 award and ongoing professional development support from First Peoples Fund throughout their fellowship year.
The Artist in Business Leadership (ABL) Fellowship, by the First Peoples Fund, annually assists
independent Native artists in developing their crafts into successful businesses through networking, training, and financial aid, aiming for their long-term success. Concurrently, the Cultural Capital (CC) Fellowship supports artists committed to preserving ancestral knowledge and celebrating Indigenous heritage in Native communities, ensuring its continuity for future generations. Dr. Lara Evans, Ph.D., Vice President of Programs at First Peoples Fund, expressed her excitement about the new fellowship cohort. “We are excited about the wide variety of cultural and artistic practices of the 2024 fellowship cohort,”. Evans elaborated, “Their creative endeavors bring together traditional knowledge, community perspectives, and each has their own spirit of growth and determination.”
Since its foundation, First Peoples Fund has honored over 410 artists from 117 tribes across 32 states and 3 Canadian provinces with fellowships. In addition to its fellowship and grants programs, FPF also helps support the inclusion of the arts in communities through values-based artist workshops, community art classes, youth programming and nationwide partnerships with other organizations invested in the arts.
With more than $9.3 million distributed in grants, fees, and honoraria since 1999, First Peoples Fund champions Indigenous artists. The achievements of the 2024 Artist in Business Leadership and Cultural Capital Fellows highlight the significant impact and importance of supporting and celebrating Indigenous artistry. Visit firstpeoplesfund.org to explore how these cultural advocates contribute to their communities and how you can help preserve Indigenous arts and culture for future generations.
The fellowships at First Peoples Fund receive generous support from several foundations. These include the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, the HRK Foundation, the Margaret A. Cargill Foundation, the McKnight Foundation, the Maxwell / Hanrahan Foundation and the California Wellness Foundation.
2024 Artist in Business Leadership Fellows:
Tiffany Adams (Chemehuevi, koyoomk’awi. Nisenan), George Alexander (Muscogee), Steven
Arrowtopknot (Blackfeet Nation), Alfreda Beartrack-Algeo (Kul Wicasa Oyate), Terrance Clifford(Lakota), Nicole Emmons (Citizen Potawatomi), Dan Friday (Lummi Nation), Nena Howell (Tlingit, Kaagwaantan Wolf Clan), Tony Louie (Colville), Leah Mata Fragua (yak tityu tityu yak tiłhini), Sabrina Saleha (Diné), Chenoa Williams (Pyramid Lake Paiute), Juliette Morris Williams (Oklahoma Choctaw), Robert Yellowhawk (Cheyenne River Sioux), Richard York (Cherokee Nation) and Ashley Young (Tlingit).
2024 Cultural Capital Fellows:
Tai Simpson (Nimiipuu Nation/Nez Perce Tribe of Idaho), Anangookwe Wolf (Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe, Fort Peck Assiniboine, Dakota), Sarah Agaton Howes (Fond du Lac Ojibwe, Muscogee), Mariah Claw (Diné), Jason Garcia (Santa Clara Pueblo), Kamali’ikupono Hanohano (‘Ōiwi Hawai’i), Lee Moquino (Zia Pueblo), Tessie Naranjo (Santa Clara Pueblo), Carrie Paton (Bristol Bay Native Corporation & Tribal Village of Manokotak), Jessie Rencountre (Standing Rock Sioux), Savanna Rilatos (Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians) and Loren Waters (Kiowa Tribe, Cherokee Nation)
Heidi Brandow, Associate Director of Communications
605-215-1088 | heidi@firstpeoplesfund.org