• Strengthening communities with data services

    Gathering stories and insights that help you make an impact

  • Grounded in truth, dignity, and respect

    Where decision-making power stays with you and your community

  • Built in collaboration

    Creating lasting change toward economic vitality and sustainability

About us

Sweet Grass is a collective of dedicated researchers and community development advocates who promote cultural preservation, social equity, and data sovereignty. We partner with tribal, nonprofit, and mission-driven organizations to deliver and measure impact.

Our approach

Current projects

We take a holistic, systems approach to our work, where individuals, families, households, beliefs, ways of knowing, economies, environments, and governments all play a role.

Port Gamble S'Klallam lays the foundation for a healthy housing ecosystem on the Kitsap Peninsula

The tribe is undertaking a nation-level strategic planning and evaluation process to guide future housing development over the next 10 years.

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Colorful boathouses on Fisherman's Wharf in Monterey County, California.

A trusted, mission-driven organization adapts to a rapidly changing landscape

Intensive, strategic collaboration helped United Way Monterey County become an organization that is clearer about who it is and better prepared for what lies ahead.

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Outside of Lower Sioux's cultural incubator

Lower Sioux Indian Community's cultural incubator becomes a vibrant hub for education, art, and connection

Through community engagement, market analysis, and collaborative planning, the Lower Sioux created a cultural center that could thrive for generations.

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Charitie Herbst, Sourcewell

“Working with Sweet Grass was a huge win for our team. For years, we struggled to measure the impact of our work across the five-county region we serve. Choosing Sweet Grass was easy due to their impressive previous work and their engaging, understanding, and confident approach.”

Our clients & partners

Latest news

Featured
Indigenous environmental stewardship: A cultural and communal calling
Julianna Smith
Indigenous environmental stewardship: A cultural and communal calling
Julianna Smith

Today’s leaders are using the same wisdom that’s allowed Indigenous peoples to exist in kinship with nature for thousands of years.

Julianna Smith
How Tribal Nations are keeping clean-energy projects alive after federal funding cuts
Jordan Greene
How Tribal Nations are keeping clean-energy projects alive after federal funding cuts
Jordan Greene

Tribes spent years preparing for projects that are now frozen or canceled. That’s not stopping them from moving clean energy forward.

Jordan Greene
Promises made and fought for: How the Boldt Decision restored broken treaty rights to tribal fisheries
Max Van Oostenburg
Promises made and fought for: How the Boldt Decision restored broken treaty rights to tribal fisheries
Max Van Oostenburg

This landmark court ruling fundamentally reshaped how treaty rights are understood and applied in the United States.

Max Van Oostenburg
See all blog posts

  • "Sweet Grass is respectful and listens to the needs of the partner. I appreciate their awareness of Tribal Nations, the importance of tribal sovereignty, and community-driven work."

    Emily White Hat, American Indian College Fund

  • "Sweet Grass is a phenomenal partner who really took the time to understand very complex subject matter and facilitated seamlessly among a diverse set of stakeholders."

    Intertribal Agriculture Council

  • "Sweet Grass’ contextual and cultural understanding of the Native CDFI market is unsurpassed in the field. We appreciate the work they do to stay informed about our markets and to continually amplify our voices on the ground."

    Lakota Vogel, Four Bands Community Fund

  • "Flawless performance and were key to operating the project in a team environment. Always available and on task. Sweet Grass became more co-workers than contractors."

    Randy Finn, Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe

  • "Sweet Grass allowed for us to have a sense of direction with our products and programming, and it helped us to tell the story of our impact."

    Skya Ducheneaux, Akiptan

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