The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community’s (SMSC) Seeds of Native Health has been a $11 million campaign to improve Native nutrition now and into the future. The campaign has focused on three key components – advocacy, grant-making and research – to support tribal food and agriculture policy, community-based nutrition programs, and research that helps move the needle on improving dietary health.
During the five-year campaign, Seeds of Native Health has resulted in important successes for tribes and Native communities. Through the campaign, the SMSC co-led a national coalition that achieved historic wins in federal legislation, benefiting Native tribes and agriculture producers. It has supported the establishment and expansion of nutrition education and community engagement across Indian Country. It launched a unique academic conference series devoted to Indigenous nutrition, and a new academic journal section showcasing the best scholarship in the field. Seeds of Native Health has also brought new funders to the table to augment the tribe’s efforts to invest in the field of Native nutrition.
