What Buffalo Nations Grasslands Alliance does

Buffalo Nations Grasslands Alliance (BNGA) is a Native-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit, founded in August 2021 and registered in South Dakota, that provides technical and financial resources to 16 Native Nations across the US Northern Great Plains for grassland conservation, wildlife stewardship, and traditional land management. The organization traces its origins to a 2013 convening of Tribal wildlife managers and a 2015 working group partnership with the World Wildlife Fund's Northern Great Plains Program, and was formally incorporated after receiving its IRS determination in August 2021. BNGA operates with fewer than 10 employees led by CEO Shaun Grassel, PhD (Lower Brule Sioux Tribe), who was hired in March 2023, and draws on a network of more than 50 advisors across its 16-Nation service area.

BNGA delivers impact through six interconnected programs: a Land Conservation Program focused on grassland restoration and Native producer support; an Outreach and Engagement Program; a Youth Engagement Program including the Grasslands for Generations youth camp; Regional Conservation Planning Services using the Open Standards for the Practice of Conservation framework; Grant Writing Training for Tribal capacity building; and a Request for Proposals (RFP) Funding Program launched in May 2025. Services are provided at no cost to Tribal partners, and the organization is funded entirely through grants from foundations and government sources, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Ceres Trust, Turner Foundation, First Nations Development Institute, Indian Land Tenure Foundation, and Native American Agriculture Fund, supplemented by individual donations. BNGA does not operate a technology platform; its competitive advantage rests on trust, Indigenous knowledge, and policy access rather than proprietary software.

BNGA's customers are the Tribal governments and natural resource departments of its 16 partner Nations, including Lower Brule Sioux Tribe, Fort Belknap Indian Community, Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, Blackfeet Nation, Crow Nation, Northern Cheyenne Tribe, Chippewa Cree Tribe, Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, and Pine Ridge Reservation. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors with deep Indigenous natural-resource leadership credentials, chaired by Gerald "Buzz" Cobell (Blackfeet Nation). Its go-to-market is community-led and relationship-based, relying on direct engagement with tribal councils, in-person gatherings, monthly advisor meetings, twice-annual workshops, and policy advocacy in Washington DC rather than a commercial sales motion.

Name

Buffalo Nations Grasslands Alliance

Legal name

Buffalo Nations Grasslands Alliance

Website

https://bnga.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Buffalo Nations Grasslands Alliance is a Native-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2021 that provides technical, financial, and capacity-building resources to 16 Native Nations across the US Northern Great Plains for grassland conservation, wildlife stewardship, and traditional land management.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Conservation and Environmental Nonprofit Services

NAICS

Administration of Conservation Programs (92412), Support Activities for Animal Production (1152), Support Activities for Animal Production (11521), Support Activities for Forestry (1153), Farm Management Services (115116)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Agricultural Prod-Livestock & Animal Specialties (200), Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Land Trusts & Protected Areas (BPAGAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Forestry & Public Lands Administration (State/National Forests) (BPAIAMAF), Bison Ranching (AFAEAIAB), Deer & Elk Farming (Venison) (AFAEAIAD)

Keywords

• Grassland conservation
• Tribal natural resources
• Wildlife habitat restoration
• Conservation planning services
• Native land stewardship

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: BNGA accepts donations from individuals and organizations to support its mission of empowering Native Nations in the Northern Great Plains to protect and revitalize their traditional lands and waters.
2. Grant Funding: BNGA receives grant funding from foundations and government sources including Ceres Trust, Turner Foundation, Native American Agriculture Fund, First Nations Development Institute, and Indian Land Tenure Foundation to support organizational operations, conservation planning, and programmatic activities.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Buffalo Nations Grasslands Alliance is a Native-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides technical assistance, conservation planning, capacity building, and access to financial resources to 16 Native Nations in the US Northern Great Plains. It coordinates regional grassland and wildlife conservation efforts, facilitates strategic planning for tribal natural resource departments, and channels grant funding from foundations to support Native-led stewardship of traditional lands and waters.

Product overview

BNGA operates as a single, unified conservation organization offering multiple interconnected programs and services rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. Its core offerings include the Land Conservation Program, Outreach and Engagement Program, Youth Engagement Program, Regional Conservation Planning Services, Grant Writing Training, and an RFP Funding Program. These programs work together to provide Native Nations in the Northern Great Plains with technical and financial resources to restore grasslands, strengthen natural resource stewardship, and reconnect communities with their traditional lands and waters.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Land Conservation Program
• Outreach and Engagement Program
• Youth Engagement Program
• Regional Conservation Planning Services
• Grant Writing Training
• Request for Proposals (RFP) Funding Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 30% of Tribal land in the Northern Great Plains under Native-led conservation management (10-year goal)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered supporting and core.

• University of MichigansupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2025University of Michigan approved a Master's Project to be completed in partnership with BNGA from Spring 2025 to Spring 2026, focusing on developing a connectivity analysis tool and researching funding alternatives for the North American Grassland Conservation Act.
• Center for Large Landscape Conservation (CLLC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2024CLLC has contracted with BNGA to complete pilot habitat suitability and connectivity maps for elk and mule deer on multiple reservations (Cheyenne River, Crow, Fort Belknap, Rocky Boy). CLLC also completed recommendations for future connectivity modeling with BNGA's tribal partners.
• Savvy Moose StrategiessupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Libby Khumalo, Founder and Principal of Savvy Moose Strategies, partners with BNGA to facilitate Tribal planning processes. She has co-built a coalition of partners across 16 Native Nations and facilitated multiple strategic planning processes.
• World Wildlife Fund Northern Great Plains Program (WWF)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015WWF partnered with BNGA's founding working group in 2015 to identify sustainable financing strategies for Tribal wildlife programs. WWF has continued as a supporting partner, with Libby Khumalo from WWF currently partnering with BNGA as a technical advisor facilitating tribal planning processes.
• Native American Fish and Wildlife Society (NAFWS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBNGA's CEO serves on NAFWS leadership, and the organization participates in NAFWS regional and national conferences. BNGA helped organize the NAFWS Great Plains Regional Conference in 2024.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Broad incumbents

• Trust for Public Land: National land conservation and financing organization with significant tribal and grassland work. Comparable on the conservation-finance and land-protection dimensions of BNGA's mission, though not Native-led.
• The Conservation Fund: National conservation organization active in land protection, sustainable financing, and working-lands conservation. Operates at significantly larger scale in overlapping grassland and habitat markets where BNGA operates.
• Indian Land Capital Company: Native-led CDFI financing tribal land acquisition and economic development. Adjacent to BNGA's sustainable financing strategy and trust fund development work, with overlapping tribal constituencies and complementary capital-deployment mission.

Direct peers

• InterTribal Buffalo Council: Native-led nonprofit working to restore buffalo to tribal lands and culture across multiple nations. Closely aligned with BNGA's buffalo stewardship, grassland restoration, and tribal cultural reconnection programs in the Northern Great Plains.
• Native American Fish and Wildlife Society (NAFWS): National Native-led organization supporting fish and wildlife programs across tribal nations. BNGA's CEO sits on NAFWS leadership, and BNGA co-organized NAFWS's 2024 Great Plains Regional Conference, making it the most directly comparable peer in mission and constituency.
• Center for Large Landscape Conservation: Conservation organization focused on connectivity across large landscapes. Has contracted with BNGA (2024) on habitat suitability and connectivity mapping for elk and mule deer on multiple reservations, indicating close programmatic collaboration.
• Native American Agriculture Fund: Major Native-led agricultural funder supporting tribal producers and food sovereignty. BNGA's Land Conservation Program for Native producers is directly adjacent to NAAF's mission, and NAAF is a current BNGA funder.
• First Nations Development Institute: Long-standing Native-led capacity-building and grant-making organization. Has been a repeat funder of BNGA and operates in the same Native-serving nonprofit space with comparable grantmaking and technical assistance functions.
• World Wildlife Fund — Northern Great Plains Program: Co-founding partner of BNGA's predecessor working group (2015) and continuing strategic ally. Operates in the same geographic region on rancher and tribal engagement for grassland conservation, with overlapping partner relationships.
• Indian Land Tenure Foundation: Native-led foundation focused on tribal land tenure, ownership, and stewardship. Served as BNGA's fiscal sponsor in 2021 and remains a core funder; closely aligned mission around tribal land and resource sovereignty.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BngAlliance
• Facebookfacebook.com/BNGAlliance
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bnga

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Buffalo Nations Grasslands Alliance