The Grant Writer Helping Native Nations Reclaim Their Future

As federal programs disappear, Native American grant writer Jeremy Zahn is helping tribal communities hold on to their future.

DALLAS, TX, UNITED STATES, July 28, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- For many tribal communities across the United States, the line between survival and collapse can come down to a grant application. In a country where Native communities have too often been an afterthought in public policy and investment, Jeremy Zahn is helping tribes reclaim what has always been theirs: the power to define their future on their terms.

Zahn, a Native American grant writer and tribal consultant based in Dallas, Texas, is leading a quiet revolution in Indigenous funding access. A citizen of the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana and a descendant of both the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians and the Choctaw Nation, he has become a lifeline for some of the country’s most underserved tribal nations—communities still living without basic infrastructure, consistent healthcare, or the means to carry their culture forward.

"Too often, these grant programs are written in ways that don’t reflect how Native communities live and lead," Zahn shared. "My role is to serve as a bridge—translating bureaucratic systems into something our people can use to bring real, lasting change."

Through his firm, Tribal Grant Writing, Zahn has partnered with more than 40 tribal governments, urban Indian centers, and Native-led nonprofits to help reclaim access to resources denied by red tape, systemic neglect, and a long history of disinvestment. His reach extends from the Pacific to the eastern seaboard, including work with tribal nations in Maine, Oklahoma, and beyond, supporting projects like ocean mapping that protects sacred marine life, language preservation efforts, and the development of tribally operated healthcare clinics.

In one California tribal community, Zahn's work is helping to bring electricity to the reservation for the very first time. In another, it’s building the financial foundation for a homeless shelter where relatives can access culturally-informed care, essential services, and protection from freezing temperatures. Last year, his firm secured a $7.5 million grant to expand HIV prevention services for American Indian and Alaska Native communities in Texas. Across every project, the goal is the same: give tribal communities a fighting chance in a system built to overlook them.

“It’s survival,” Zahn said. "When we talk about grants, we’re not just talking about money. We’re talking about whether a child grows up in their culture. Whether an Elder has heat in the winter. Whether our languages live or die."

What sets Tribal Grant Writing apart is its accessibility. With sliding-scale and subscription-based services, Zahn's firm is removing cost as a barrier for tribal communities often left behind due to limited budgets and resource constraints. Since its launch, he has helped Native communities apply for and secure more than $120 million in competitive grants from agencies including the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Indian Health Service (IHS), the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), and the Department of Justice (DOJ).

With billions in tribal-serving programs on the chopping block, Zahn’s work continues to help communities hold the line. "We’re at a crossroads," Zahn said. "There’s less funding now, and more competition than ever—but that only makes it more urgent to think differently. It’s not about chasing dollars—it’s about building systems that endure—ones that reflect who we are and keep our communities whole. For many of the places we serve, these grants are the final thread of possibility. Without them, there is no future."

Zahn will speak at the 2025 Big Sky Native Econ Conference in Billings, Montana, taking place August 5–7, where he will lead a session titled "Funding the Future: Rethinking Tribal Grants in Changing Times."

About Tribal Grant Writing: Tribal Grant Writing is a leading agency for grant writing, research, and nation-building in Indian Country. To learn more or explore partnership opportunities, visit https://www.tribalgrantwriting.com.

AJ Wilkie
Oak Hill Strategies
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