Lakota Peoples Law Project

What Lakota Peoples Law Project does

Lakota People's Law Project is a nonprofit legal and advocacy organization founded in 2005 that partners with Lakota and Sioux tribal nations to counteract treaty violations, protect sacred lands and water, defend Native children under the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA), and advance Native voting rights. Headquartered for mailing purposes in Santa Fe, New Mexico (EIN 99-2707481) but operationally focused on Lakota Country across the Dakotas and Great Plains, the organization is led by Co-Director and Lead Counsel Chase Iron Eyes with President & General Counsel Daniel Sheehan and additional counsel Lanny Sinkin. Since December 2024 the organization has operated as a program of Sacred Defense Fund under full Indigenous board governance, having separated from its original parent, the Romero Institute.

The organization delivers its mission through an online Action Center (action.lakotalaw.org) and dedicated fundraising platform (give.lakotalaw.org), supplemented by in-person community organizing on reservations including Standing Rock, Pine Ridge, and Cheyenne River. Core programs include ICWA litigation (successfully defended before the U.S. Supreme Court in Brackeen v. Haaland in June 2023), Native voting rights work (securing a 2022 federal NVRA ruling against South Dakota), direct-action campaigns against extractive infrastructure (Dakota Access Pipeline, Keystone XL, and exploratory graphite drilling at Pe' Sla), and the Sacred Defense National Parks & Monuments Initiative launched in July 2024 to route donations from visitors at 14 federal parks to associated tribal nations.

Revenue derives entirely from individual donations, a sustaining membership program ($100+ trial membership tier), the annual Wopila Gathering on Giving Tuesday, supporter-initiated fundraisers, and the multi-year Sacred Summer capital campaign targeting $750,000. The go-to-market motion is community-led: digital advocacy, email action alerts, online petitions, and grassroots mobilization, with earned media amplified by high-profile allies. The organization has no proprietary technology product, app, or AI capability; financial scale is not publicly disclosed but is bounded by an 11-50 employee headcount range.

Name

Lakota Peoples Law Project

Legal name

Romero Institute

Website

https://lakotalaw.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Lakota People's Law Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit (since 2005, under Sacred Defense Fund) that partners with Lakota and Sioux tribal nations to defend treaty rights, sacred lands, ICWA, and Native voting rights via legal advocacy, digital campaigns, and grassroots organizing, funded by individual donations and membership.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Advocacy and Nonprofit Community Organizing

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Minority, Indigenous & Disability Rights (BPADAGAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Civil Liberties & Constitutional Rights Advocacy (BPAGAFAA), Environmental Policy, Advocacy & Litigation (BPAGAGAG)

Keywords

• Indigenous rights advocacy
• Native American legal services
• Tribal sovereignty
• Sacred land protection
• Grassroots community organizing

Headquarters

HQ city

Dakota

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: The organization relies primarily on individual donations from supporters who subscribe to the newsletter and take action on campaigns. Donations are solicited through the website, email campaigns, and fundraising events like the annual Wopila Gathering.
2. Membership Program: Sustaining membership program where supporters pay recurring dues in exchange for being alongside the Lakota every step of the way. Members receive trial memberships, stickers, and other benefits for contributions of $100 or more.
3. Fundraising Events: Annual Wopila Gathering fundraising event on Giving Tuesday, as well as the ability for supporters to start their own fundraisers. The Sacred Summer capital campaign aims to raise $750,000.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Lakota People's Law Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit legal advocacy and grassroots organizing organization that partners with Native American communities to protect treaty rights, sacred lands, voting rights, and Native children. It provides free legal support, runs digital advocacy campaigns, mobilizes supporters through petitions and action alerts, and operates donation/membership programs to fund Indigenous-led campaigns including ICWA defense, pipeline resistance, voting rights, and sacred site protection.

Product overview

Lakota Peoples Law Project operates primarily as a nonprofit advocacy organization rather than a technology product company. The organization's core offerings center on an Action Center platform for campaign management, petition signing, and donations, along with specialized programs including a National Parks & Monuments donation initiative, Native voting rights efforts, ICWA advocacy, and pipeline resistance campaigns. The organization functions under the Sacred Defense Fund as of December 2024, having separated from the Romero Institute, and operates primarily through its action center at action.lakotalaw.org and giving platform at give.lakotalaw.org.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Lakota Law Action Center An online action center platform enabling supporters to take action on Lakota rights campaigns, sign petitions, email officials, donate, become sustaining members, start fundraisers, and access the Supporter Toolkit. It serves as the organization's primary digital engagement hub.
• Sacred Defense National Parks & Monuments Initiative An initiative enabling visitors to 14 national parks and monuments (Arches, Bears Ears, Crater Lake, Death Valley, Devils Tower, Grand Canyon, Grand Teton, Haleakala, Rocky Mountain, White Sands, Wind Cave, Yellowstone, Yosemite, and Zion) to donate to Indigenous communities whose ancestral homelands are occupied by these federal lands. Donations of $20 or more receive two initiative-logo stickers.
• Native Voting Rights Program Voter registration, Get Out the Vote (GOTV) efforts, voter ID assistance, and advocacy for a Native American Voting Rights Act (NAVRA) in tribal communities. Includes the Standing Rock the Vote and Rez the Vote 2022 Rezball3 basketball tournament GOTV initiative.
• Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) Advocacy Legal advocacy and campaign efforts to protect the Indian Child Welfare Act, which prioritizes Native care for Native children and maintains cultural connections and tribal sovereignty. Lakota Law was a plaintiff in the Brackeen v. Haaland case in which the U.S. Supreme Court upheld ICWA in a 7-2 decision on June 15, 2023.
• Keystone XL Pipeline Resistance Campaign Campaign opposing the Keystone XL pipeline, including advocacy and direct action that contributed to President Biden revoking the pipeline's permit on his first day in office in January 2021.
• Pe' Sla Sacred Site Protection Campaign Campaign focused on halting graphite drilling near Pe' Sla, the ceremonial heart of the Black Hills, including direct-action sit-ins, federal lawsuit coordination with nine Sioux tribes, NDN Collective, Earthworks, and Black Hills Clean Water Alliance, and grassroots mobilization to pressure the U.S. Forest Service.
• Wopila Gathering Annual Fundraising Event Annual virtual and in-person fundraising event held on Giving Tuesday (December 2), featuring speakers, artists, and musicians from across Indian Country. Free virtual attendance with donation option, used to drive donations and new sustaining member acquisition.
• Sustaining Membership Program Recurring membership program where supporters contribute $100 or more annually to stand with the Lakota. Members receive a trial membership, stickers, and other benefits. Contributions of $100+ to national park donation pages also include a trial membership.

Quantifiable outcome

• Leonard Peltier freed after nearly 5 decades of incarceration following advocacy including 20,000+ petitions to White House
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, former and minor.

• Sacred Defense FundcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2024In December 2024, Lakota People's Law Project separated from Romero Institute to become a program of Sacred Defense Fund, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The organization continues fighting for Indigenous and environmental justice under the guidance of its Indigenous board and executives under this new home.
• Romero InstituteformerStrategic or Co-development PartnerLakota Law was originally founded as a project of the Romero Institute. Since December 2024, Lakota Law has moved to Sacred Defense Fund. The Romero Institute gave birth to the Lakota Law program and the organization remains grateful to Romero for this foundation.
• Four DirectionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational Native American voting rights organization that partnered with Lakota Law on Standing Rock the Vote 2018. Led ground campaign with 160 organizers on the streets to knock on doors and register voters before Election Day.
• NDN CollectivecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndigenous-led movement organization that partnered with young Lakota warriors in direct action at Pe' Sla. Filed federal lawsuit challenging drilling permits alongside Lakota Law.
• Black Hills Clean Water AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal advocacy group that filed federal lawsuit challenging Pe' Sla drilling permits alongside NDN Collective, Earthworks, and nine Sioux tribes.
• EarthworkscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental organization that co-filed federal lawsuit challenging Pe' Sla drilling permits.
• Nine Sioux TribescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCheyenne River, Crow Creek, Lower Brule, Oglala, Santee, Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate, Spirit Lake, Standing Rock, and Yankton Sioux tribes filed April 29-30, 2026 federal lawsuits challenging Pe' Sla drilling permits.
• Independent Sovereign Nation State of HawaiiminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipating beneficiary in the Sacred Defense National Parks & Monuments Initiative for Haleakala and Hawaii Volcanoes national parks.
• Participating Tribal Nations (National Parks Initiative)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTribal communities associated with 14 national parks and monuments participate in initiative to receive donations from park visitors. Initial parks include Arches, Bears Ears, Crater Lake, Death Valley, Devils Tower, Grand Canyon, Grand Teton, Haleakala, Rocky Mountain, White Sands, Wind Cave, Yellowstone, Yosemite, and Zion.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Earthworks: Environmental organization that co-filed federal lawsuits with Lakota Law challenging Pe' Sla drilling permits. Adjacent rather than direct competitor; provides environmental-technical expertise that complements Lakota Law's legal-advocacy focus.

Direct peers

• First Nations Development Institute: Native-led nonprofit focused on economic development, advocacy, and grantmaking for tribal communities, with comparable programmatic mix of community organizing and donor-supported initiatives serving Native Nations.
• Four Directions: National Native American voting rights organization that partnered with Lakota Law on Standing Rock the Vote 2018, leading ground operations with 160 organizers. Directly comparable mission in voter registration and NVRA enforcement.
• Honor the Earth: Indigenous-led environmental and cultural advocacy organization founded by Winona LaDuke, focused on Native sovereignty, environmental justice, and pipeline resistance (including DAPL and KXL). Comparable fundraising model and overlapping campaign portfolio.
• Native American Rights Fund: National nonprofit legal fund dedicated to Native American rights, providing direct legal representation in federal courts on treaty, sovereignty, and ICWA matters. Highly comparable legal-advocacy mission and SCOTUS-level litigation profile to Lakota Law.
• Indigenous Environmental Network: Indigenous-led network focused on environmental justice, climate, and extractive-industry opposition, with overlapping DAPL/KXL/Pe' Sla campaign interests and grassroots mobilization approach analogous to Lakota Law.
• NDN Collective: Indigenous-led movement organization that directly co-files federal lawsuits with Lakota Law (e.g., Pe' Sla drilling permits) and runs parallel grantmaking and organizing for Lakota, Dakota, and Navajo communities. Closest tactical peer in grassroots mobilization and direct-action litigation.

Broad incumbents

• IllumiNative: Native-led racial-equity organization running broader narrative-change and policy campaigns across all Native communities nationwide. Less focused on direct litigation and field organizing than Lakota Law, but highly comparable donor base and advocacy positioning.
• Cultural Survival: Indigenous-led nonprofit advocating for Indigenous Peoples' rights globally with comparable human-rights framing and donor-supported campaigns. Broader geographic scope but weaker overlap on U.S.-specific treaty and litigation matters.

Emerging players

• Seeding Sovereignty: Indigenous youth-led advocacy organization focused on sovereignty, environmental justice, and policy campaigns. Smaller scale and earlier-stage than Lakota Law, but engages overlapping pipeline-resistance and rights-advocacy issues.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Faction.lakotalaw.org%2Faction%2Fsign-up
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lakota-peoples-law-project

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Lakota Peoples Law Project