Tanka Fund
Tanka Fund is a Native-led nonprofit that works to empower private Native American buffalo caretakers of all herd sizes and across all tribes, including established ranchers, those who are just starting new herds, and those who seek to convert from cattle to buffalo.
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To prepare Native youth for careers in buffalo caretaking, Tanka Fund saught to develop the Youth Buffalo Institute, a space for young adults to create meaningful careers centered on the buffalo. Our role was to conduct focus groups, interview industry leaders, and help young adults present their findings at the Intertribal Agriculture Council’s annual convening in Las Vegas.
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Gather community feedback on the need for a youth learning space, including the areas of business and entrepreneurship, ecology, agritourism, husbandry, policy, and succession.
Interview youth, partners, and buffalo caretakers.
Conduct an in-person strategic planning session.
Develop a long-term planning document to guide next steps for the institute.
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The results from the project were instrumental in helping Tanka Fund build new partnerships and raise funds. With support from NDN Collective, Tanka Fund partnered with two other Native nonprofits, Wambli Ska Okolakiciye and Makoce Agriculture Development, to purchase a meat processing facility and employee housing.
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Jul–Dec 2023
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Michael Brydge — Project supervisor, tool design, client communication, data collection and analysis, in-person strategic planning, and report writing
Jordan Greene — Data analysis
Julianna Smith — Graphic and layout design
