The Collective: How a New Community of Donors Is Moving Money and Power Toward Indigenous Leadership
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Casey Box
This story is part of the Architects of Impact series, highlighting stories of innovation that demonstrate how our Community is mobilizing to ensure a world that works for all people and the planet.
Casey Box has always been drawn to the connection between people and place. Raised in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, he developed a deep respect for land and community early on. That instinct for stewardship eventually led him deep into the Amazon, where a trip alongside a documentarian focused on Indigenous communities sparked what would become a lifelong commitment to Indigenous rights and environmental justice.
“I quickly learned that the best investment in protecting critical ecosystems and biodiversity is to invest in and partner with the communities that have stewarded those ecosystems for thousands of years,” he says. Since then, Casey has spent more than 15 years working across the philanthropic and nonprofit landscape to do just that, from leading the Indigenous rights organization Land is Life, to directing global strategy at The Christensen Fund, to guiding philanthropy at Forests, People, Climate (FPC), and now to launching something entirely new.
A Philanthropic Gap and a Global Opportunity
Globally, Indigenous Peoples make up just six percent of the population, yet they care for 80 percent of the world’s biodiversity and over a third of remaining intact forests. Their traditional knowledge, land stewardship, and climate solutions are well-documented. Only a fraction of global climate funding—just 0.13 percent—reaches Indigenous communities directly.
That disconnect is what The Collective aims to address. An idea conceived by Casey and co-designed by Indigenous colleagues and Forward Global members, The Collective is a platform for donors to learn, collaborate, and fund differently—centered on relationships with Indigenous leaders and guided by rights-based, participatory principles. (The Collective is fiscally sponsored by Forward Global.)
“We’re asking how Indigenous leaders can have real power and influence in the work of foundations, donors, and partners,” Casey says. The Collective doesn’t require a financial commitment from donors to join. Instead, it asks for something deeper: accountability. Members are invited to report anonymously on how they’re moving money—how much is unrestricted, when intermediaries are used, and how community voices are shaping decisions.
Building with—Rather than for—Communities
At the heart of The Collective is a straightforward belief: communities should not be living project to project. Grants should be larger, multiyear, and more flexible. Relationships should be rooted in trust, not bureaucracy. And Indigenous voices should be involved not just in consultation, but in co-creating funding strategies and decisions.
Casey brings a unique ability to build those bridges. With experience as both a grassroots leader and a foundation executive, he moves easily across sectors by meeting with Indigenous leaders one week and global funders the next. “My superpower is deep listening and weaving people together,” he says. That relational approach has shaped The Collective’s early traction: more than $70 million in potential donor interest was generated at its 2025 Forward Global Summit announcement, and it now includes partnerships with the MacArthur Foundation, Doris Duke Foundation, and FPC.
The Collective’s model includes both a pooled fund and a participatory fund, co-designed with Indigenous organizations. Members benefit from curated learning journeys, direct introductions to Indigenous leaders, and hands-on collaboration opportunities. Events like a food sovereignty dinner at the James Beard House, a London Climate Week gathering, and a New York Climate Week convening—plus activations at Forward Global Summits—are part of a growing calendar designed to foster connection and learning.
A New Kind of Philanthropy
Casey’s long-term vision is bold. “My goal is to help move hundreds of millions—maybe billions—into Indigenous-led solutions,” he said. “And to reach a point where The Collective doesn’t need to exist anymore, because these communities are finally resourced at the level they deserve.”
He’s quick to point out that he doesn’t see himself as the expert. “The Collective isn’t led by one person. It’s shaped by all of us,” he says. “I’m just lucky to be working alongside some incredible Indigenous partners and Forward Global members who are willing to lean in, ask hard questions, and move money differently.”
He also offers a simple test for any funder: “If you care about the environment, biodiversity, women’s rights, cultural preservation, or climate justice—Indigenous Peoples should be part of your portfolio. No matter how big or small.”
The Collective is one of the most ambitious experiments in participatory philanthropy taking shape today. For Casey, the most important thing Forward Global members can do is clear: move money, listen deeply, and learn by doing.
