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GRINDING STONE COLLECTIVE INC
GLENDALE, NY · EIN 863022293 · Form 990 · FY2024 · NTEE S20 · Community Improvement · Small ($100K-$1M) · gscollective.org
revenue
$240K
expenses
$240K
net assets
$22K
employees
2
program ratio
59%
mission · from form 990

TO BUILD STRONG, SELF-SUFFICIENT INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES AND TO BUILD CONNECTIONS BETWEEN URBAN AND RURAL NATIVES. WE ARE COMMITTED TO CREATING INNOVATIVE, IMPACTFUL, AND SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS TO THE CHALLENGES FACING US AS INDIGENOUS PEOPLE TODAY.

profile · synthesized from sources

Grinding Stone Collective is an Indigenous-led nonprofit dedicated to revitalizing traditional foodways and ecological knowledge through community-driven education, mutual aid, and land stewardship. The organization works to strengthen Indigenous food sovereignty by reconnecting urban and rural Native communities to ancestral food systems and practices. It emphasizes education, reciprocity, and action as core pathways to cultural preservation and sustainability.

named programs · 3 · from sources

What they call their work

First Foods Program
Educational series featuring Indigenous culture bearers that offers free classes, food heritage events, cooking and gardening demonstrations to reconnect Indigenous communities with ancestral food systems and promote food sovereignty.
Grinding Stone Collective Presents
Twice-monthly zine series exploring Native plants and ingredients, highlighting Indigenous food leaders, traditional ecological knowledge, and contemporary cultivation practices across Indigenous territories.
Intertribal Food Pantry
Mutual aid initiative that distributes culturally appropriate food such as bison meat, grains, oysters, and produce to Indigenous communities in partnership with Indigenous producers.
activities · 4 groups

What they do

  • Indigenous and Diaspora Cultural Preservation 2 activities
    • Building Community Protocols Based on Indigenous Wisdom
      Develops and shares program protocols rooted in intergenerational Indigenous knowledge to guide community interactions, strengthen cultural exchange, and create safe, inclusive environments for preserving and transmitting Indigenous knowledge.
    • Hosting Community Discussions and Cultural Events
      Hosts discussions on diverse topics, shares updates about local events and community happenings, and offers podcasts, social groups, and database-building activities to promote Indigenous cultural traditions and community well-being.
  • Food Distribution and Hunger Relief 1 activity
    • Distributing Culturally Appropriate Food via Mutual Aid
      Provided over 16,000 pounds of culturally appropriate food—including bison meat, oysters, potatoes, grains, and produce—to Indigenous communities through a mutual aid initiative launched under the First Foods Program in 2020.
  • Indigenous-Led Ecosystem Stewardship 1 activity
    • Supporting Indigenous Knowledge Bearers as Educators
      Creates teaching opportunities for Indigenous knowledge bearers to share biodiversity conservation methods and promote alternative food preparation and health practices outside industrial food systems.
  • Uncategorized 4 activities
    • Advocating for Indigenous Knowledge in National Forums
      Advances recognition of Indigenous knowledge systems through national advocacy, including presenting at the MIT Solve Challenge Finals 2022 where the founder pitched the organization’s model and discussed Indigenous knowledge as original big data.
    • Creating Knowledge-Sharing Platforms for Traditional Ecological Knowledge
      Develops and maintains a knowledge-sharing platform that connects Indigenous communities across territories by integrating technology with Traditional Ecological Knowledge. Includes an online recipes page featuring traditional dishes from the A New Day for Old Ways classes and publishes accessible educational content on individual Native plants.
    • Publishing Educational Zines on Native Foods and Plants
      Produces a twice-monthly zine series exploring Native foods within cultural, ecological, and scientific contexts; has published issues on the Pawpaw (Asimina triloba) and Groundnut (Apios americana), covering their medicinal, material, historical, and dietary significance in Indigenous food systems.
    • Revitalizing Indigenous Food Sovereignty through Education and Land-Based Practices
      Offers free educational programming including classes, food heritage events, community discussions, cooking and gardening demonstrations, and presentations to reconnect Indigenous people with ancestral food systems and land-based practices. Provides access to tools for cultivating and preparing traditional foods, with curricula grounded in intergenerational Indigenous wisdom.
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$240K
Contributions & grants$240K100%
Program service revenue$00%
Investment income$00%
Other revenue$0
expenses
Total expenses$240K
Program expenses59%
Admin / overhead29%
Fundraising12%
Salaries & benefits$150K
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$221K
Cash$220K
Investments$0
Liabilities$199K
Net assets$22K
Liquid reserves11.0 mo
3 years on record · 2021–2024 · YoY revenue +6.9%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024

Who runs it

paid leadership · 1
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
BROOKE RODRIGUEZ CEO AND BOARD VICE PRESIDENT 40 $92K
board members · 5
  • EMMA-LEE JOE — BOARD MEMBER
  • LUIS KACIAN CALDERON — BOARD MEMBER
  • MARINA BARTELLI — TREASURER
  • MARY OPWAM — SECRETARY
  • SID WHITING JR — PRESIDENT
relationships · 10

Who they work with

  • A New Day for Old Ways Partner — Collaborates with A New Day for Old Ways to present traditional dishes in educational classes.
  • First Nations Development Institute Funder — Sponsor of the Intertribal Food Pantry initiative.
  • Indigenous Cultural Bearers and Educators Partner — Recruited to develop and teach courses within the organization's educational programming.
  • Indigenous communities Partner — Collaborates with Indigenous communities to co-lead food culture education and programming.
  • Indigenous community members Partner — Collaborates with Indigenous community members to increase access to traditional foods and promote sustainable food systems.
  • Indigenous culture bearers Partner — Featured educators and knowledge holders in the First Foods educational series
  • MIT Solve Partner — Collaborates with MIT Solve as part of the 2022 Indigenous Communities Fellowship cohort.
  • Our Supporters & Collaborators Partner — Organizations collaborating with or inviting collaboration from Grinding Stone Collective
  • Robin Wall Kimmerer Partner — Cited as a contributor of knowledge and guidance in the development of the Pawpaw zine issue.
  • Urban Indian Health Institute Partner — Collaborating organization in the Intertribal Food Pantry initiative.
strategies · 5

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • Community-Driven Stewardship for Food Sovereignty
    methodology: community-driven_stewardship
    By integrating community-driven education, mutual aid, and land stewardship, we revitalize traditional foodways and ecological knowledge because collective ownership and cultural continuity lead to sustainable Indigenous food sovereignty.
  • Education, Reciprocity, and Action (ERA) Framework
    methodology: era-framework
    By applying a three-pronged approach of Education, Reciprocity, and Action, we build sustainable community change because combining knowledge transfer, mutual support, and tangible projects creates a self-reinforcing cycle of empowerment and food sovereignty.
  • Indigenous-Led, Community-Responsive Governance
    methodology: community-responsive_model
    By centering Indigenous leadership and community input in organizational structure and decision-making, we ensure relevance and self-determination because programs designed and led by communities are more effective and culturally appropriate.
  • Integration of Technology with Traditional Knowledge
    methodology: technology-TEK-integration
    By combining modern technology with Traditional Ecological Knowledge, we strengthen and scale Indigenous food sovereignty efforts across geographies because technology extends the reach of place-based knowledge without diluting its cultural integrity.
  • Revitalization of Traditional Ecological Knowledge as Lived Practice
    methodology: TEK-restoration
    By restoring Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) as a living, practiced system integrated with contemporary needs, we achieve equitable and sustainable food sovereignty because ancestral knowledge provides culturally grounded, resilient solutions to food insecurity.