For nearly 10 years, we have been working to provide animals, grants and technical assistance to Native American buffalo caretakers who, in turn, serve their own communities through maintaining cultural herds, providing healthy buffalo meat to community members, and mentoring younger ranchers. 

We return buffalo to their homelands

Our work honors the cultural, spiritual and environmental significance of the Buffalo Nation to Native American communities, as well as addresses their challenges in growing economically and environmentally sustainable herds using traditional caretaking methods. Tanka Fund 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.

We work with buffalo caretakers across all tribes

We serve Native American buffalo caretakers across all U.S.-based tribes and the Buffalo Nation. For example, in 2023, Tanka Fund provided buffalo, grants and technical assistance to 19 caretakers. The ranchers are members of a variety of Native American tribes, including Oglala Lakota, Sicangu Lakota, Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate, Modoc Nation, Ojibwe, Cheyenne River Sioux, Lipan Apache, Muscogee (Creek) and Standing Rock Sioux. 

We take care of the buffalo and the buffalo take care of the land

Tanka Fund and the caretakers serve our sister nation, the Buffalo. Because of that ancestral relationship, we do not see them solely as animals. We take care of the buffalo and the buffalo take care of the land. And because the buffalo are a keystone species, they contribute to prairie restoration, soil health, and land regeneration. Throughout our history, the buffalo has been considered a sacred being that provides sustenance, clothing, and economic stability. Tanka Fund draws its purpose from this connection, rooted in a creation story that guides every aspect of the organization.

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