Native American Rights Fund

Native American Rights Fund

Echohawk, a member of the Pawnee Nation, co-founded the Native American Rights Fund in 1970 with seed funding from the Ford Foundation. The Boulder-based nonprofit operates as a law firm rather than a traditional foundation, using its financial endowment to directly fund lawsuits, legal advocacy, and expertise for Native American tribes, individuals, and organizations. The organization's investment strategy is unique among endowments: it deploys capital into litigation across multiple fronts including tribal sovereignty, natural resources protection, religious freedom, and education. NARF manages the Tribal Supreme Court Project in partnership with the National Congress of American Indians, shaping federal precedent on tribal jurisdiction. Its holdings also include physical infrastructure — its Boulder headquarters at 250 Arapahoe Avenue, co-located with the National Indian Law Library collection. NARF operates with a small leadership team of Native attorneys. Deputy Director Matthew L. Campbell, a member of the Native Village of Gambell, helps oversee the legal program. The board includes tribal leaders such as Chair Rebecca Crooks-Stratton of the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community. Professional affiliations include the American Bar Association's Civil Rights and Social Justice Section and the National Native American Bar Association, reinforcing NARF's role as the legal backbone of the Indian rights movement. The fund's architecture is structurally different from other mission-driven endowments. It does not make grants. Instead, every dollar supports a permanent legal team that converts treaty obligations and federal law into enforceable judgments. The nonprofit's model is self-perpetuating: favorable rulings and fee recovery often replenish resources, maintaining the endowment's capacity to pursue multi-year litigation campaigns.