Grantee Spotlight: Remarkable Strides in Native Leadership
With national media attention focused elsewhere, there was a bright light amid the 2024 election results that should be celebrated. Last year saw the highest number of Native candidates run for office in U.S. history, with 253 candidates across 25 states. And the results were even more impressive: 64% of candidates won their races, and 91% of incumbents kept their seats.
Longtime WDN Action grantee Advance Native Political Leadership worked tirelessly to help make these victories possible.
A more powerful, inclusive democracy
To give insight to their work, Advance tracked Native American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian candidates running for office at all levels of government. Native people are often left out of demographic data and research; so this comprehensive data, including insights by gender identity and party affiliation, filled a crucial gap in election reporting.
Armed with that data, Advance then provided Native leaders with tools and support to run impactful campaigns and lead with confidence and authenticity. In 2024, they:
Recruited 350+ Native leaders to run for office and prepared them to drive change in their communities
Expanded their Native Leadership Institute (NLI) to Arizona, California, and Puerto Rico
Trained 38 Native leaders, growing their network to 112 alumni (seven of whom ran for office)
Deepened networks to support Indigenous leaders at every level, from local school boards to Congress
Photo credit: Advance Native Political Leadership
To round out the year, Advance’s 2024 Native Power Building Summit served as a transformative space for collaboration, celebration, and vision-setting, drawing over 500 registrations and bringing together 350 Native leaders, organizers, artists, and allies from 30 states and Washington, D.C.
A long-term investment
WDN Action has been a proud funder of Advance Native since its inception. We support political infrastructure and emerging leadership that enable historically excluded communities to build and exercise their political and civic power for a more reflective democracy – and we do it with trust so that organizations can design strategies that work best for their communities.
