The Cultural Conservancy

The Cultural Conservancy (TCC) is a Native-led Indigenous rights nonprofit organization based in San Francisco, California, USA. Our mission is to protect and restore Indigenous cultures, empowering them in the direct application of their traditional knowledge and practices on their ancestral lands. Founded in 1985, for over the past 40 years we have worked with California Indian tribes, Native Americans around the US and Canada, Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders, and indigenous communities in South America on a wide variety of community-based projects, from sacred site protection to the revitalization of endangered languages and song traditions. We have simultaneously worked with conservation organizations, land trusts, environmental justice coalitions, and other groups interested in protecting the rights of indigenous peoples. Additionally, TCC advocates for the health and well-being of indigenous communities through programs in health, foodways, and cultural arts. The Cultural Conservancy is Native-led—governed by a diverse native board of directors, a small, dedicated staff, an advisory council, and two Distinguished Fellows/Elders. In 2012 we created three new programs: our Mino-Niibi Fund for Indigenous Cultures, Native Foodways and Ethnobotany Garden, and our Indigenous Youth Media, Arts and Cultural Health Project.