The herd has circled and now we move forward
Last year we were tested, but our circumstances didn’t change our mission of returning Buffalo to Native lands, strengthening our leadership, and focusing even more on our partnerships.
Despite losing $3 million in funding when major partners and resources dissolved, like the Buffalo, we slowed down and circled our herd to protect what matters most. We honed in on our strategy as we collaborated with our partners, ranchers, and herds at the heart of this movement.
Today and looking forward, we are newly energized with multi-year grants and partnerships that are already turning our recovery into momentum — funding conservation planning, expanding access to USDA programs, and unlocking capital and technical support for Native stewards. These investments will restore land, expand market access, and help transfer Buffalo to caretakers across Native lands.
“This progress means more resilient ranch businesses, improved grazing landscapes, and Buffalo roaming where they belong. These are not just funding awards, they are partnerships that allow this work to continue and grow. They strengthen our ability to support Native ranchers, restore land, and return Buffalo to the places they belong.”
— Dawn Sherman, Executive Director, Tanka Fund
Our Rancher Partners: Virgil Two Eagle Sr.
Buffalo are part of a living tradition of generosity, and we saw that in action last year at the ranch of our rancher partner Virgil Two Eagle Sr.
At the end of 2025, Virgil’s newly renamed Two Eagle Buffalo Ranch on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota received Buffalo from retiring rancher Clifford Eugene Steeby in Oregon, Missouri. The transfer helped expand Virgil’s herd (he also previously received Buffalo from Rye, Colorado) and fulfilled a shared mission through Tanka Fund partners to return Buffalo to the lands, lives, and economies of Native ranchers.
“They are all beginning to become a family – they were total strangers. As the weeks got on, they slowly came around each other.”
Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes’ Annual Roundup
Executive Director Dawn Sherman attended the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes’ annual Buffalo roundup in Concho, Oklahoma, where she participated as a member of the InterTribal Buffalo Council representing the Delaware Tribe of Indians of Bartlesville. Invited by herd manager and ITBC Regional Director Randy Hawk, she observed and engaged in herd management practices, including health checks and research efforts.
The experience highlighted both the practical realities of caring for Buffalo and the deep cultural connection communities maintain with them. The roundup also served as a space for shared knowledge, intertribal collaboration, and continued learning.
Tanka Fund Receives the Restorying Regenerative Agriculture Award
Tanka Fund is proud to share that, for the first time in our history, we have received the Restorying Regenerative Agriculture Award, recognizing our contributions to the health of community foodways and lands. We’re especially grateful to have been nominated by our colleagues at Makoce Agriculture Development.
This award is presented by the Regenerative Agriculture Foundation, a U.S.-based intermediary funder that works alongside foundations, investors, nonprofits, community leaders, and land stewards across Tribal Nations to advance regenerative agriculture and support solutions to today’s most pressing challenges.
Through its Restorying initiative, RAF directs resources to support ancestral foodways and land stewardship while promoting a broader understanding of regenerative agriculture through a participatory, peer-led process.
As part of this award, we will connect regularly with fellow awardees to share knowledge, strengthen collaboration, and continue building meaningful relationships that support this work moving forward.
Funder Spotlight: South Dakota Community Foundation
We’re grateful to share that the South Dakota Community Foundation has awarded Tanka Fund a $20,000 grant to help sustain critical operations during unexpected federal funding disruption.
This support will help fund on-the-ground technical assistance, herd management, and outreach efforts so ranchers can continue receiving the resources and support they need.
The South Dakota Community Foundation works to simplify philanthropy and help charitable giving do more good across South Dakota, and we’re deeply grateful for this investment in our work.
We Honor the Women Who Make It Happen
It’s nearly impossible to shout out every woman in this work and that, in itself, is a good thing.
Because the numbers are countless. Not just the women we see out on the ranches, negotiating deals, or speaking in public spaces — but the ones behind the scenes, keeping everything moving. Managing, organizing, holding down households, and raising the next generation of caretakers.
A lot of that work goes unsung. We know that. But we see you and we appreciate all you do.
March may be Women’s History Month, but this isn’t something we recognize once a year. It’s lived every day. Because without women, nothing moves forward. Much like Buffalo, women lead the way and protect their own.
Women have always driven change through ingenuity, resilience, and action. We honor where we’ve come from and where we’re going, every day.
Tanka on the Move
From recent events to what’s coming up next, we’ve been staying active and connected in the work. Here’s a quick look.
Waterlily Storytelling Institute
Our rancher partners Wayne Frederick and Alex Romero-Frederick presented at Brave Heart Society’s Waterlily Storytelling Institute event in Lake Andes, South Dakota. Trudy Ecoffey from our technical assistance team also spoke about natural resource conservation.
Bison Symposium
We’d like to thank Mary Mallinger, Conservation Biologist at the Minnesota Zoo, for inviting us to attend its virtual Bison Symposium. Highlights included keynote speaker John Halstead of Turner Enterprises discussing low-stress handling and Dr. Ed Spevak, Curator of Invertebrates at the Saint Louis Zoo, presenting on SAFE (Saving Animals From Extinction).
SAFE is a North American Bison program working with Indigenous groups, conservation organizations, and zoos to rematriate bison populations for eco-cultural restoration.
HEFN Conference
Executive Director Dawn Sherman will give a presentation at the Health and Environmental Funders Network Annual Meeting on April 20–22 in Rapid City, South Dakota. She will be sharing about Tanka Fund’s work and why it’s important.
A Time of Renewal and Balance
At Tanka Fund, we recognize spring as more than a season. For the Lakota people, it is the beginning of the year and a return of life. As the land awakens, so too does a responsibility to begin again. Plants emerge, animals return, and the world reminds us that renewal is not just possible, it is expected.
Rooted in observation of the natural world, the Lakota calendar follows these cycles, recognizing spring as the true new year because it is when life visibly comes back into balance.
This season reflects the teaching of Mitákuye Oyás’iŋ, that all things are related, and calls us to restore our relationship with the land and each other. At Tanka Fund, that responsibility is carried forward through the return of Buffalo to Native lands. As the time comes for the Wakinyan (Thunder) to awaken the land, so too does a responsibility to begin again.
We Are Now Candid Platinum
We’re proud to share a major milestone in our commitment to transparency and accountability: we have officially earned Platinum status with Candid, the highest level of recognition a nonprofit can receive.
This distinction reflects our dedication to openly sharing our financials, impact data, and outcomes, so you can see exactly how your support is creating change.
In a sector where trust is everything, Platinum status signals that our work is not only mission-driven, but measurable and accountable. We invite you to explore our full profile and see the impact for yourself because every investment in our work is one we are committed to stewarding with integrity and results.
Tanka Trivia
Last Question:
What mood does a Buffalo show when its tail hangs down?
Answer: When it hangs down and switches naturally, the Buffalo is usually calm. If the tail is standing straight up, watch out! It may be ready to charge. No matter what a Buffalo’s tail is doing, remember that they are unpredictable and can charge at any moment.
This Month’s Question
What’s the hump on a Buffalo used for?
Think you know?
Email your answer to: marketing@tankafund.org for a chance to win exclusive Tanka Fund merch.
🦬 Good luck, and thank you for supporting Buffalo restoration!
