IndigenousWays
IndigenousWays
IndigenousWays is a Native-led Indigenous Arts nonprofit founded in Santa Fe, New Mexico in 2007. IndigenousWays highlights Indigenous artists of all media as well as 2SLGBTQIA+ and differently abled performers. The IndigenousWays Festivals originated through events on the Navajo Nation and has grown to live events in Santa Fe. In recent years, eleven IndigenousWays Festivals have taken place at the Santa Fe Railway Park – reaching out to broader communities and ensuring access through American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation and disability access for all events. In 2025, festivals will continue to take place at the Railyard Park.
In addition to our festivals, our initiatives include monthly virtual Wisdom Circles – using online media to provide platforms highlighting resources offered by culture bearers across the globe. Our speakers include visual and language artists, dancers, singers, and honored elders with precious Indigenous knowledge. We maintain an archive of all these events to continue sharing these stories. Once again, our reach is broadened by involving ASL interpreters prominently in all events - including empowering Deaf and Hard of Hearing presenters to educate our audiences.
We continue to build our program by adding interns, providing hands-on training in arts management, event production, digital media, and nonprofit administration for a next generation of leaders. One of our guiding values has been collaboration with others. In 2025, we look forward to bringing our Wisdom Circle to the Vital Spaces Theater in Santa Fe, permitting a live venue and audience for continuing our important virtual events.
We are grateful for the support of the Santa Fe Community Foundation that has enabled our programs to flourish and remain free for all attendees.
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The Santa Fe Community Foundation invited its nonprofit grantees to submit stories related to our September topic of Education.
McCurdy Ministries
Local nonprofit McCurdy Ministries shares their story, including the early childhood programs that support young children and families in the Española Valley, offering care, education, and essential resources during critical early years.
Pegasus Legal Services for Children
Hear from Pegasus — a recent Santa Fe Baby Fund grant recipient and New Mexico’s only nonprofit law firm dedicated exclusively to children’s civil legal needs — about the importance of kinship guardianship in keeping local children safe and families together.
Santa Fe Indigenous Center
The Santa Fe Indigenous Center is a Native-led nonprofit serving Indigenous families across Santa Fe County. Through biweekly food drives, cultural events, community programs, emergency financial assistance, and a robust network of referral resources, SFIC supports the diverse needs of the local Indigenous community. Each year, the organization hosts its signature event — the Honoring Native Nations Powwow on Indigenous Peoples’ Day — bringing dancers, drummers, Tribal Dignitaries, artists, and community members together to celebrate Indigenous culture, joy, and resilience. This year’s powwow was a vibrant success, and SFIC looks forward to continuing this tradition in 2026.
