Sacred Places Institute for Indigenous Peoples

What Sacred Places Institute for Indigenous Peoples does

Sacred Places Institute for Indigenous Peoples (SPI) is a California Indigenous-led, community-rooted nonprofit organization founded in 2012 by Angela Mooney D'Arcy and headquartered in Los Angeles County, California, within the ancestral homelands of the Gabrielino/Gabrieleño Tongva Nations. Its mission is to build the capacity of Native Nations and Indigenous Peoples to protect sacred lands, waters, and cultures through direct action, law and policy research, advocacy, and public awareness. The organization operates a portfolio of six core programs: Sacred Ecologies, Indigenous Media, Ocean Protectors, Indigenous Waters, Indigenous Just Transition, and Indigenous Youth Environmental Justice (IYEJ).

SPI's primary programmatic outputs include direct advocacy and coalition-building with California Tribal nations, plus a media operation — the all-Indigenous Media Team — that produces and distributes documentaries (e.g., 'Our Water Ways' 2024, 'Bodies of Water: Paayme Paxaayt' 2023, 'California Indigenous Perspectives on Water' 2022, 'The Indians Reply' 2024, 'Cadiz Inc.' 2018, 'Saving Payahüpü' 2014). The organization employs approximately 5 staff and operates under fiscal sponsorship by Social and Environmental Entrepreneurs (SEE), a 501c3.

The business model is donor-funded: SPI raises revenue through individual donations via PayPal and grants from foundations including Patagonia, Weingart Foundation, and Climate Science Alliance. There are no commercial products, pricing tiers, or recurring enterprise contracts. Distribution of SPI's advocacy and media content occurs through direct community engagement, events, documentary screenings, newsletter/email, and earned media coverage in outlets such as the Los Angeles Times and Sacramento Bee. SPI was recognized with the 2023 US Water Prize (Outstanding Public Official) and has received R&D grant funding from Cal Humanities for documentary production.

Name

Sacred Places Institute for Indigenous Peoples

Legal name

Sacred Places Institute for Indigenous Peoples

Website

https://sacredplacesinstitute.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sacred Places Institute for Indigenous Peoples is a California Indigenous-led nonprofit that builds capacity of Native Nations and Indigenous Peoples to protect sacred lands, waters, and cultures through direct advocacy, law and policy research, and documentary media production.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Indigenous Rights and Environmental Justice Advocacy

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 industry

Indigenous & Community Cultural Institutions (THAJADAK)

Keywords

• Indigenous rights advocacy
• Environmental justice
• Sacred lands protection
• Documentary production
• Community organizing

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles County

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, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: SPI raises funds through individual donations via PayPal and other channels. Donors can contribute to support the organization's work building capacity of Native Nations and Indigenous Peoples to protect sacred lands, waters, and cultures.
2. Grants and Foundation Funding: SPI receives grant funding from foundations including Patagonia, Weingart Foundation, and Climate Science Alliance to support documentary production and environmental programs.
3. Fiscal Sponsorship: SPI is fiscally sponsored by Social and Environmental Entrepreneurs (SEE), a 501c3 nonprofit organization, enabling it to receive tax-deductible donations.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Sacred Places Institute for Indigenous Peoples (SPI) is a California Indigenous-led nonprofit organization that builds the capacity of Native Nations and Indigenous Peoples to protect sacred lands, waters, and cultures through direct action, law and policy research and advocacy, and public awareness campaigns. Its service portfolio includes the Sacred Ecologies Program, Indigenous Media Team documentary productions, Ocean Protectors Program, Indigenous Waters Program, Indigenous Just Transition, and Indigenous Youth Environmental Justice (IYEJ) Program, all delivered in coordination with Tribal leaders, community organizers, and partner organizations.

Product overview

Sacred Places Institute for Indigenous Peoples (SPI) is a California Indigenous-led nonprofit organization offering a portfolio of advocacy programs and documentary media productions. The core programs include the Sacred Ecologies Program (central initiative supporting land, water, and cultural protection), Indigenous Media Program (producing documentaries), Ocean Protectors Program, Indigenous Waters Program, Indigenous Just Transition, and Indigenous Youth Environmental Justice (IYEJ) Program. The Indigenous Media Program produces documentary films including 'Our Water Ways' (2024), 'Bodies of Water: Paayme Paxaayt' (2023), 'California Indigenous Perspectives on Water' (2022), 'The Indians Reply' (2024), 'Cadiz Inc.' (2018), and 'Saving Payahüüpü: The Owens Valley Solar Story' (2014). These programs work in coordination to advance Indigenous health, sacred place protection, climate justice, and environmental movements through direct action, policy advocacy, and public awareness.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Sacred Ecologies Program: Core program focused on protecting sacred lands and waters through direct action, law and policy research and advocacy, and raising public awareness.
• Indigenous Media
• Ocean Protectors Program
• Indigenous Waters Program
• Indigenous Youth Environmental Justice (IYEJ) Program
• Indigenous Just Transition

Products and services

• Sacred Ecologies Program Core program that supports Native Nations and Indigenous Peoples working to protect their lands, waters, and cultures through direct action, law and policy research and advocacy, and raising public awareness.
• Indigenous Media Program An all-Indigenous Media Team that produces and digitally distributes documentaries uplifting the environmental and climate justice stories of Native Nations and Indigenous Peoples.
• Ocean Protectors Program Program focused on protecting ocean environments and coastal waters through Indigenous-led strategies.
• Indigenous Waters Program Program dedicated to protecting Indigenous water rights and sacred water sources.
• Indigenous Just Transition Program supporting Indigenous communities through environmentally and socially just transitions grounded in Indigenous values.
• Indigenous Youth Environmental Justice (IYEJ) Program Program empowering Indigenous youth to engage in environmental justice advocacy and leadership.
• Our Water Ways (2024) Feature-length documentary highlighting Tribal nations with homelands in California's forest, urban, desert, and coastal lands and the critical ways they protect sacred water.
• Bodies of Water: Paayme Paxaayt (2023) Documentary showcasing voices of Tongva, Chumash, Gabrielino-Shoshone, and Acjachemen tribal communities along with BIPOC environmental justice organizations celebrating advocacy for protecting the LA River.
• California Indigenous Perspectives on Water (2022) Historical overview documentary of Acjachemen, Tongva, and Chumash California tribes and their historical relationship to water, with recommendations for environmental organizations.
• The Indians Reply (2024) Documentary produced by SPI's Indigenous Media Team directed by Spenser Jaimes, complementing the Reclaiming El Camino: Native Resistance in the Missions and Beyond exhibition at the Autry Museum.
• Cadiz Inc. (2018) Documentary exploring the Cadiz corporation's proposed water project that would pump billions of gallons of water from a Mojave Desert aquifer to Southern California.
• Saving Payahüpü: The Owens Valley Solar Story (2014) Film focusing on how a 1,200-acre industrial-scale solar energy development project by the LA Department of Water and Power would harm Paiute cultural sites and the Manzanar National Historic Site.

Quantifiable outcome

• Global 80% of the world's biodiversity is stewarded by Indigenous Peoples, yet Indigenous organizations receive less than 1% of philanthropic funding in the U.S. SPI bridges this gap by building capacity for Indigenous communities to protect sacred lands and waters.

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Climate Science AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Climate Science Alliance provided funding support for 'Our Water Ways' (2024) and partnered with SPI on the 2023 San Diego Climate Summit. The alliance emphasizes community-centered approaches, resilience, relationship building, and Indigenous approaches to climate adaptation. SPI participated in the Transformational Adaptation podcast episode covering the summit.
• Friends of the Amargosa BasinminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a community partner organization on SPI's Indigenous Media page, working to protect the Amargosa Basin for future generations.
• Northern Chumash Tribal Council / Chumash Sanctuary CampaignminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a partner organization on SPI's Indigenous Media page. The Chumash Sanctuary is a grassroots effort led by the Northern Chumash Tribal Council in partnership with the Marine Sanctuary Alliance, Sierra Club, Surfrider Foundation, COAST, and others.
• WishtoyominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a partner organization on SPI's Indigenous Media page. Wishtoyo bridges Chumash culture, wisdom, and values with present day protection of natural and cultural resources.
• Ocean OriginsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a partner organization on SPI's Indigenous Media page. Collaborates with communities, stewards, managers, and scientists to develop multi-ecosystem solutions.
• California SalmonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a partner organization on SPI's Indigenous Media page. Dedicated to policy change and community advocacy for Northern California's salmon and fish-dependent people.
• Autry Museum of the American WestminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSPI's Indigenous Media Team produced 'The Indians Reply' (2024), a documentary complementing the Reclaiming El Camino: Native Resistance in the Missions and Beyond exhibition at the Autry Museum, curated by Deana Dartt of the Coastal Chumash Nation.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Wishtoyo Foundation: Chumash-led nonprofit focused on cultural preservation and protection of natural resources. Already a listed partner of SPI and directly comparable in its Indigenous-led approach to protecting sacred lands, waters, and Chumash cultural heritage.
• Native Americans in Philanthropy: Indigenous-led and serving nonprofit working to increase philanthropic investment in Native communities. Comparable to SPI in addressing the funding gap SPI cites (less than 1% of U.S. philanthropy reaching Indigenous organizations) and supporting Native-led capacity building.
• Native Organizers Alliance: Indigenous-led national organizing and training network. Directly comparable to SPI in its focus on building Indigenous organizing capacity, leadership development, and movement infrastructure across Native Nations.
• Seventh Generation Fund for Indigenous Peoples: Indigenous-led, community-based grantmaking organization. Comparable to SPI in its Indigenous-led approach to building capacity, protecting sacred lands, and supporting grassroots tribal community organizing.
• Indigenous Environmental Network: Indigenous-led environmental justice and climate organization. Directly comparable to SPI in its focus on Indigenous stewardship of land and water, advocacy, and coalition organizing on environmental issues affecting tribal nations.
• Cultural Survival: Indigenous rights organization advocating for Indigenous Peoples' rights, cultures, and lands. Comparable to SPI in its grassroots coalition work, advocacy, and support for Indigenous land and cultural protection efforts.
• IllumiNative: Indigenous-led nonprofit focused on narrative change and increased visibility of Native peoples. Comparable to SPI in using media, storytelling, and grantmaking to shift public representation of Indigenous communities.
• NDN Collective: Indigenous-led national organization funding advocacy, narrative change, and organizing. Closely comparable to SPI as a fellow Indigenous-led nonprofit driving visibility and capacity-building work across Native Nations and climate issues.
• Honor the Earth: Indigenous-led environmental advocacy and grantmaking organization. Directly comparable as an Indigenous-led nonprofit combining advocacy, media, and direct grant support to Native Nations on environmental issues.

Broad incumbents

• Earth Island Institute: Long-established environmental organization that incubates and fiscally sponsors dozens of projects. Comparable as the broader-incumbent counterpart to SPI's environmental advocacy work and as a sponsor-organization archetype for fiscal sponsorship models.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sacred-places-institute-for-indigenous-peoples

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Sacred Places Institute for Indigenous Peoples