#  Impact 

 



       ![Person and corn laying out to dry](/sites/g/files/omnuum6806/files/styles/hwp_21_9__1920x825/public/2025-01/dsc00196_2.jpg?itok=LxrsBU1d) 

 

 



 

 



 

##  Impact 

Investments in nation building are investments in a brighter tomorrow. Indian Country is undergoing a remarkable renaissance. Native nations are being rebuilt, poverty is being pushed back, and cultures are being strengthened as Indian communities take charge of their own destinies. The road is long and the legacies of denied rights of self-determination present unending challenges. The Harvard Project is the premier think tank at the forefront of this movement.



 

 



 [ Donate arrow\_circle\_right ](/donate) 

 

 

 

 

    ![Chief Oren Lyons receiving blanket at Honoring Nations 2008 awards in Phoenix, Arizona.](/sites/g/files/omnuum6806/files/styles/hwp_3_4__480x640/public/hpaied/files/oren_blanket_honoring.jpg?itok=heoV5VAI) 

 

 

 

   

*It would be almost impossible to overstate the importance and impact of the Harvard Project and Honoring Nations. The program has changed the way Indian Country thinks about questions of governance and government performance; it has touched thousands of people in profound ways; and it places Indian nations in a position of honor in the history of nations.*

 

Chief Oren Lyons

Faithkeeper, Onondaga Nation

 

 



 

 

 

##  In the News 

 



  [### How Tribal Self-Governance Advances the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 

 ](/news/2026/06/how-tribal-self-governance-advances-sustainable-development-goals-sdgs) June 11, 2026 

 

   [### Patrice Kunesh (MC/MPA 2010) Receives HKS Alumni Public Service Award

 ](/news/2026/05/patrice-kunesh-mcmpa-2010-receives-hks-alumni-public-service-award) May 20, 2026 

 

   [### Navajo, Hopi share grant to aid communities hurt by coal mine closures

 ](https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2026/04/10/grant-will-help-navajo-hopi-towns-hurt-by-coal-mine-closures/89491839007/) April 10, 2026 

 

  

 

 [ More News arrow\_circle\_right ](/news) 

 

 

 

##  Upcoming Events 

Visit the Ash Center website for our events calendar



 

 



 [See Events chevron\_right](https://ash.harvard.edu/calendar/upcoming/event-category/american-indian-economic-development) 

 

 

 

 

##  Sponsors and Supporters 

 



  [### Sponsors

 ](/sponsors)The Project is able to support Indigenous nation building throughout Indian Country with the generous support of foundations, corporations, and tribal nations.



 

   ![Courtesy of Ohero:kon](/sites/g/files/omnuum6806/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/hpaied/files/10366153_537999446311522_3560780252371564747_n.jpg?itok=yoXs849K) 

 

 

 

  [### Circle of Supporters

 ](/circle-supporters)The Circle of Supporters is composed of dedicated individual donors who provide support and guidance to the Project to ensure lasting and significant impact.



 

   ![Citizen Potawatomi Nation](/sites/g/files/omnuum6806/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/hpaied/files/cpn_plp.png?itok=BdfyXD8w) 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

*The work and the research of the Harvard Project is amazing. It is what Indian Country has needed and continues to need to help us strengthen our tribal governments and our nations."*

 

Dr. Henrietta Mann (Cheyenne)

Emeritus Professor, Montana State University

 

 



   

*The work of the Harvard Project is foundational. It has informed me and trained me as a Native nation (re)builder. I've recited the nation building tenets so many times that I say them in my sleep."*

 

Wayne Ducheneaux (Lakota)

Executive Director, Native Governance Center & former Vice Chairman, Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe