Indigenous Data Champions 2026 Cohort Summary
The Indigenous Data Champions (IDC) Fellowship is an Indigenous Data Sovereignty (IDSov) and Indigenous Data Governance (IDGov) training program for Indigenous leaders, professionals, and community representatives working on behalf of Tribal Nations, Alaska Native communities, Native Hawaiians, and Indigenous Island Territories.
The program is hosted by the Indigenous Data Alliance and funded by the Henry Luce Foundation and the Indigenous Data Alliance. The inaugural 2025 - 2026 cohort marked the launch of the Fellowship, bringing together twenty Indigenous Fellows from across the United States who represented diverse professions and experiences, were at various stages in their IDSov journeys, and shared a common commitment to strengthening IDSov and IDGov within the communities they serve.
Program Overview & Fellowship Experience
Building on the strengths and leadership already present within Tribal Nations and Indigenous communities, the Fellowship created opportunities for Fellows to strengthen their knowledge, skills, and professional networks while learning alongside Indigenous leaders and peers who were actively advancing this work in their own communities. Participants engaged with real-world examples of Indigenous-led data governance while exchanging experiences and practical strategies for advancing IDSov and IDGov in ways that reflected the protocols, priorities, and governance processes of their own Nations, organizations, and communities.
One of the defining aspects of the Fellowship was the opportunity for Fellows to learn directly from Indigenous leaders who were actively advancing IDSov and IDGov within their own areas of expertise. Leaders in Tribal government, research institutions, higher education, environmental and GIS programs, health initiatives, nonprofit organizations, cultural institutions, artificial intelligence and technology fields, land and water management, and other community-based efforts shared their knowledge through masterclasses, webinars, discussions, and weekly office hours.
The experiences and expertise shared by these leaders demonstrated the many ways Indigenous Nations and communities were actively exercising sovereignty over their data according to their own priorities, values, protocols, governance systems, and community contexts. Rather than discussing IDSov only as a concept, Fellows learned from people who were actively putting these principles into practice every day.
“We received a vast amount of foundational knowledge from the fellowship, which has been extremely helpful going forward with development and application in my own Tribe.”
“There were a lot of practical examples for how to operationalize IDSov (i.e. contract templates, passing policies within a university, building local data systems). I appreciated the mix of taking values-based frameworks but illustrating how those values are put into action. I also felt like the content was most accessible to me as a community organizer who is not formally trained in data or technology.”
IDSov & IDGov Summit in Tucson, AZ
The biannual Indigenous Data Sovereignty and Indigenous Data Governance Summit held in Tucson, Arizona, in April 2026 provided an opportunity for Fellows to bring and have those conversations within the broader Indigenous data community. Through roundtable discussions, panel sessions, interactive workshops, and conversations with Indigenous Elders, youth, community leaders, and fellow data practitioners from around the world, participants saw how the work taking place within their own communities connected to and strengthened the broader IDSov movement.
Gathering in person at the Summit solidified relationships that had begun at the beginning of the Fellowship, creating new opportunities for collaboration and reinforcing the practical relevance of Fellows' own projects and community work. For many Fellows, the Summit brought the year's learning into focus, showing how their own work fit within a broader, international movement advancing Indigenous Data Sovereignty around the globe.
Individual Fellowship ProjectsWhile every Fellow received the same foundational learning, each participant was encouraged to interpret and apply that knowledge to their required fellowship projects through the priorities, governance structures, protocols, and needs of their own communities. As a result, no two Fellowship projects looked the same. Instead, each project reflected a different application of IDSov and IDGov based on the unique work, responsibilities, and goals of the Fellow leading it.
The resulting projects took many forms, including developing Tribal and organizational data policies, exploring Indigenous approaches to artificial intelligence governance, creating and implementing community IDSov trainings, strengthening community data systems and infrastructure, and supporting economic, environmental, health, and cultural initiatives. Together, these projects reinforced that IDSov is not a single model to replicate, but a set of principles that each Nation and community brings to life according to its own values, priorities, aspirations, and capacity.
“This fellowship has greatly influenced all of my work in Tribal Stewardship and Language Revitalization, as we look towards how to steward data from both realms. It has inspired me to think more critically about our data, and who shares stewardship. It has inspired even more projects beyond my fellowship project of Shared Stewardship and Data Sharing Agreements, to pursue a guide for a "data audit" for Tribes. Although maybe seedlings of ideas for the Tribe I belong to, I think it will have lasting impacts and help us assert true sovereignty.” - April Tan'gerpak Hostetter (Yupiaq/Yup’ik, Igiugig Tribe), IDC Fellow
“The fellowship has given me focal points in which to co-create robust frameworks for IDSov & IDGov and showed me the strength in privacy. I can use what I’ve learned within the frameworks of Tribal work, community grassroots organizing, and non-profit work, and learn the limitations of each entity.” - Sarah Stepetin (Tribal Member of Qigiigun Tribe of Akutan), IDC Fellow“Because of this fellowship, I feel extremely better equipped/connected to address future issues within the Hawaiian (and potentially larger Pacific) community.” - Darienne Dey (Kanaka ‘Ōiwi/ Hawaiian), IDC Fellow
Ongoing Impact within Indigenous CommunitiesBy investing in Indigenous leaders who were already serving their Nations and communities, the Fellowships’ impact extended well beyond the program itself. Fellows returned to their work with stronger professional relationships, practical approaches, new perspectives, and increased confidence in strengthening IDSov efforts within their own communities. This strengthened not only the leadership of individual participants, but also the growing global network of Indigenous data practitioners committed to advancing IDSov through collaboration, practical action, and service to their communities.
Although the inaugural Fellowship came to an end, the relationships, knowledge, and experience developed throughout the year continue on through the work Fellows are carrying forward in their own communities. The value of the IDC Fellowship was held in what participants learned during the program, as well as in how that knowledge will now be shared, adapted, and applied to strengthen IDSov within Tribal Nations, organizations, and Indigenous communities. As future cohorts join this growing network, those relationships, shared experiences, and collaborations will continue to strengthen Indigenous leadership and support Indigenous communities in exercising sovereignty over their own data for generations to come.
Hear from the 2025 - 2026 Fellows:“My biggest takeaway from the IDC Fellowship was the feeling of hope knowing that there are so many brilliant Indigenous scholars, community members, etc. doing this important work throughout the world. We have so much work to do in our community to achieve the same level of true data sovereignty and data governance. It was great to see that it can be done at the level we were shown throughout the fellowship.” - Dr. Alexis Archambault (Standing Rock Sioux Tribe), IDC Fellow
“I set off with a clear goal in mind, but eventually had to pivot my focus for my fellowship project. Most of what I developed is conceptual and in process, but I found comfort in seeing how long it took some Tribes to develop their own governance processes, protocols and procedures for IDSov. It takes a village to co-develop and co-implement sustainability, and technology plays a major impact - especially in the age of AI! “- Karli Tyance Hassell (Anishinaabe) , IDC Fellow
“Indian Country is full of amazing, brilliant and talented warriors that will always come together to make our ancestors proud to protect and carry our data forward in a good way. It made a huge impact on me to see so many intelligent, beautiful people under one roof at the summit, to continue the fight for our sovereignty and governance rights to be indigenous people in this westernized world. I’m beyond thankful for this opportunity. Migwetth.” - Stacey White (Forest County Potawatomi), IDC Fellow
“There are many incredible individuals across Turtle Island and Mother Earth who are doing similar work, and connecting to them through this fellowship and this summit is powerful. A network of sharing knowledge is being created and I am looking forward to see how this family evolves over time and how we can help each other.“ - April Tan'gerpak Hostetter (Yupiaq/Yup’ik, Igiugig Tribe), IDC Fellow
Follow & Stay Updated