About Tallgrass Institute

Tallgrass Institute is a Center for Indigenous Economic Stewardship. We create pathways between Indigenous leaders and investors to ensure respect for Indigenous Peoples’ rights – including their rights to self-determination and free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) – in development projects that impact Indigenous lands and communities. By centering Indigenous Peoples’ power, participation, and self-determination, we integrate Indigenous priorities and perspectives to solve today's most pressing global challenges.

Programatic Pillars

Training

We train Indigenous Peoples about shareholder advocacy strategies to protect their land, communities, resources, and intellectual property and support their engagement with investors and corporations.

Research & Publications

Our research leads with Indigenous Peoples' enterprise visions, advances respect for Indigenous Peoples’ rights in business operations, and centers and amplifies Indigenous-led solutions to systemic economic exclusion.

Networks & Partnership

We provide strategic partnership and network activation around rights-based approaches to sustainable economic development, equity in deal-making, and socially responsible investment.

Corporate Engagement & International Advocacy

We work directly with Indigenous Peoples and Indigenous organizations to design and deploy targeted corporate engagement campaigns. In parallel, we work within the Indigenous rights movement globally to advocate for investors, international mechanisms, and standard-setting bodies to mainstream the business case for Indigenous Peoples’ rights.

Annual Reports

▶ 2023-2024 Annual Report
▶ 2022-2023 Annual Report
▶ 2021-2022 Annual Report
▶ 2020-2021 Annual Report

Tallgrass Institute is a program of the Center for Native American and Indigenous Studies at CU Boulder.