Project on Indigenous Governance and Development at Harvard Kennedy School

Project on Indigenous Governance and Development at Harvard Kennedy School These nations are being rebuilt, poverty is being pushed back, and cultures are being strengthened as Indian communities take charge of their own destinies.
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The Harvard Project aims to understand and foster the conditions under which sustained, self-determined social and economic development is achieved among American Indian nations through applied research and service. The Project on Indigenous Governance and Development at the Harvard Kennedy School is the recognized leader in practical research, teaching, leadership development, policy analysis, an

d pro bono advising for Native communities. With Indigenous peoples so long shut out from access to world-class and relevant educational and economic opportunities, the core mission of the Project is to arm Indigenous people themselves with the tools needed to govern effectively and to strengthen their economic, social, and cultural fabrics. Based at the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, the Project focuses on what works to strengthen Indigenous communities—and what doesn’t work. Since 1987, the Project has worked to uncover and support the conditions under which sustained, self-determined political, social, cultural, and economic strengthening can be achieved by Indigenous communities. The Project has been awarded by tribes themselves for its pioneering work fostering the Indigenous renaissance that has taken hold in the US and beyond.

Today, we're featuring our Nation Building Toolbox focused on our Senior Fellowship! The Joseph P. Kalt Senior Fellowshi...
07/23/2026

Today, we're featuring our Nation Building Toolbox focused on our Senior Fellowship! The Joseph P. Kalt Senior Fellowship in Indigenous Governance and Development allows highly accomplished senior leaders to spend time at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. As honored representatives of their Nations, Senior Fellows are able to reflect on their careers in public service and share practical lessons in nation building with the coming generations of world leaders. Our toolboxes are online, mixed media, learning tools which can assist in meeting the needs of Indigenous leaders, allies, and decision makers. Check it out here: https://sites.google.com/view/seniorindigenousleader/home

The self-guided toolboxes enable Nation Builders to explore, develop and manage their understanding of key functions of tribal, First Nation, and other Indigenous governance structures and strategies. The Toolboxes provide Nation Builders with learning activities and resources they can use to assist Indigenous communities in their drive for self-determination. The content is supplemented with case studies, lessons learned, and first-hand explanations by fellow decision makers who have tackled the challenges of strengthening their own communities.

We can’t tell you what will work for your community, but we do hope that having access through these toolboxes to the lessons from, and experiences of, other Native nations will provide you with ideas and useable starting points as you tackle your own community’s needs.

Today, we're featuring our Nation Building Toolbox focused on Tribal Justice Systems! Our toolboxes are online, mixed me...
07/21/2026

Today, we're featuring our Nation Building Toolbox focused on Tribal Justice Systems! Our toolboxes are online, mixed media, learning tools which can assist in meeting the needs of Indigenous leaders, allies, and decision makers. Assembled from the real-world experiences of hundreds of Native nations, the toolboxes serve as a central resource of information on how to implement and sustain best practices in community self-governance. They are hosted and curated by the Native Nations Institute (NNI) at the University of Arizona and the Project on Indigenous Governance and Development (Harvard Project) at Harvard University, and feature contributions of partners with valuable knowledge to share. Check it out here: https://sites.google.com/g.harvard.edu/tribal-justice-systems-toolbox/about

The self-guided toolboxes enable Nation Builders to explore, develop and manage their understanding of key functions of tribal, First Nation, and other Indigenous governance structures and strategies. The Toolboxes provide Nation Builders with learning activities and resources they can use to assist Indigenous communities in their drive for self-determination. The content is supplemented with case studies, lessons learned, and first-hand explanations by fellow decision makers who have tackled the challenges of strengthening their own communities.

We can’t tell you what will work for your community, but we do hope that having access through these toolboxes to the lessons from, and experiences of, other Native nations will provide you with ideas and useable starting points as you tackle your own community’s needs.

Please join us in welcoming our 3 new Research Assistants for Summer 2026!Tamarron Austin is a member of the Navajo Nati...
07/16/2026

Please join us in welcoming our 3 new Research Assistants for Summer 2026!

Tamarron Austin is a member of the Navajo Nation from New Mexico, currently pursuing a degree in Financial Mathematics and Statistics at UC Santa Barbara. His research interests center on economic development and governance in tribal nations, and he is broadly interested in applying quantitative methods to issues in Indigenous economic development across the U.S.

Ryder Cuch is a student at Dartmouth College studying Geography modified with Engineering Sciences and minoring in Architectural Design. With a strong interest in sustainable development and design, he aims to integrate geospatial technologies and research methods into a future career focused on sustainable design. Outside of academics, Ryder is also a DJ and the editor-in-chief of the Dartmouth College Radio Blog.

Garret Morgan is a sophomore at Dartmouth College with focuses in Economics and Native American and Indigenous Studies. Garret is from the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska and has experience working with the Winnebago Tribe’s economic development corporation, Ho-Chunk Inc., in the areas of finance, real estate, farming, and government contracting. In his free time, Garret is a member of the Occom Pond Singers, a Native student drum group at Dartmouth College.

Welcome to the team!

Today, we're featuring our Nation Building Toolbox focused on Constitutions! Our toolboxes are online, mixed media, lear...
07/13/2026

Today, we're featuring our Nation Building Toolbox focused on Constitutions! Our toolboxes are online, mixed media, learning tools which can assist in meeting the needs of Indigenous leaders, allies, and decision makers. Assembled from the real-world experiences of hundreds of Native nations, the toolboxes serve as a central resource of information on how to implement and sustain best practices in community self-governance. They are hosted and curated by the Native Nations Institute (NNI) at the University of Arizona and the Project on Indigenous Governance and Development (Harvard Project) at Harvard University, and feature contributions of partners with valuable knowledge to share. Check it out here: https://sites.google.com/g.harvard.edu/constitutionstoolbox/constitutions

The self-guided toolboxes enable Nation Builders to explore, develop and manage their understanding of key functions of tribal, First Nation, and other Indigenous governance structures and strategies. The Toolboxes provide Nation Builders with learning activities and resources they can use to assist Indigenous communities in their drive for self-determination. The content is supplemented with case studies, lessons learned, and first-hand explanations by fellow decision makers who have tackled the challenges of strengthening their own communities.

We can’t tell you what will work for your community, but we do hope that having access through these toolboxes to the lessons from, and experiences of, other Native nations will provide you with ideas and useable starting points as you tackle your own community’s needs.

Have you checked out our Nation Building Toolboxes? Our toolboxes are online, mixed media, learning tools which can assi...
07/09/2026

Have you checked out our Nation Building Toolboxes? Our toolboxes are online, mixed media, learning tools which can assist in meeting the needs of Indigenous leaders, allies, and decision makers. Assembled from the real-world experiences of hundreds of Native nations, the toolboxes serve as a central resource of information on how to implement and sustain best practices in community self-governance. They are hosted and curated by the Native Nations Institute (NNI) at the University of Arizona and the Project on Indigenous Governance and Development (Harvard Project) at Harvard University, and feature contributions of partners with valuable knowledge to share. Today, we're featuring our Nation-Owned Business Enterprises Toolbox! https://sites.google.com/view/businessenterprisestoolbox/business-enterprises-toolbox

The self-guided toolboxes enable Nation Builders to explore, develop and manage their understanding of key functions of tribal, First Nation, and other Indigenous governance structures and strategies. The Toolboxes provide Nation Builders with learning activities and resources they can use to assist Indigenous communities in their drive for self-determination. The content is supplemented with case studies, lessons learned, and first-hand explanations by fellow decision makers who have tackled the challenges of strengthening their own communities.

We can’t tell you what will work for your community, but we do hope that having access through these toolboxes to the lessons from, and experiences of, other Native nations will provide you with ideas and useable starting points as you tackle your own community’s needs.

To honor Governor Anoatubby’s 50+ years of visionary leadership with The Chickasaw Nation, we wanted to highlight some o...
06/25/2026

To honor Governor Anoatubby’s 50+ years of visionary leadership with The Chickasaw Nation, we wanted to highlight some of the Nation's award-winning programs for Excellence in Self-Governance from Harvard's Honoring Nations program. Last up is the Chickasaw Nation Sick Child Care Program (2016):

Providing a sick child with care or finding a relative or friend to help can be a major challenge, especially for single parents, two-worker families, and employees whose jobs offer limited flexibility. The Chickasaw Nation Sick Child Care Program offers a safe and nurturing place for mildly ill children to spend the day and gives working parents the assurance that their children are receiving proper care.

https://artsandculture.google.com/story/chickasaw-nation-sick-child-care-program-honoring-nations/3gWRM0cePqLdBw?hl=en

To honor Governor Anoatubby’s 50+ years of visionary leadership with The Chickasaw Nation, we wanted to highlight some o...
06/23/2026

To honor Governor Anoatubby’s 50+ years of visionary leadership with The Chickasaw Nation, we wanted to highlight some of the Nation's award-winning programs for Excellence in Self-Governance from Harvard's Honoring Nations program. Next up is the Chickasaw Press (2008):

The Chickasaw Nation created the Chickasaw Press to spread home-grown knowledge about their Nation’s history and culture. The Press publishes books written by Chickasaw citizens using the highest standards of professional editing and production.

https://indigenousgov.hks.harvard.edu/publications/chickasaw-press-chickasaw-nation
Chickasaw Press

This summer, our Honoring Nations Board of Governors member Dr. Phil Deloria will be featured on a new podcast series ca...
06/22/2026

This summer, our Honoring Nations Board of Governors member Dr. Phil Deloria will be featured on a new podcast series called "First America." Written and reported by award-winning journalist Rebecca Nagle (Cherokee Nation), First America brings together Indigenous experts and historians to revisit the founding of the United States. For more info or to check out the first episode, visit https://www.firstamerica.info/

Featuring:
⭐ Maggie Blackhawk (Fond du Lac Ojibwe), New York University
⭐ Ned Blackhawk (citizen of the Te-Moak Tribe of Western Shoshone), Yale University
⭐ Phil Deloria (descendant of the Standing Rock and Yankton Sioux tribes), Harvard University
⭐ Nick Estes (citizen of the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe), University of Minnesota

Produced by the Critical Frequency podcast network and distributed by Pushkin Industries.

To honor Governor Anoatubby’s 50+ years of visionary leadership with The Chickasaw Nation, we wanted to highlight some o...
06/18/2026

To honor Governor Anoatubby’s 50+ years of visionary leadership with The Chickasaw Nation, we wanted to highlight some of the Nation's award-winning programs for Excellence in Self-Governance from Harvard's Honoring Nations program. First up is the Chuka Chukmasi Home Loan Program (2003):

When the Chickasaw Nation's Division of Housing realized that nearly 60% of its citizens' home loan applications were being denied, it created the Chuka Chukmasi, or Beautiful Home, Home Loan Program to make safe and affordable housing a reality. Since 1998, Chuka Chukmasi has proven how powerful the combination of partnerships with innovative financial institutions and the education of its citizenry in the basics of loan applications and mortgage financing can be in securing home loans at competitive rates.

https://indigenousgov.hks.harvard.edu/publications/chuka-chukmasi-home-loan-program-chickasaw-nation

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