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| Founded | 1972; 53 years ago (1972) |
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| Type | Non-governmental organization |
| Focus | Indigenous rights |
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Area served | Worldwide |
| Website | culturalsurvival.org |
| Part ofa series on |
| Indigenous rights |
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Cultural Survival is an Indigenous-lednonprofit organization(501(c)(3)), based inCambridge, Massachusetts, United States, that advocates for the rights ofIndigenous Peoples around the world. Founded in 1972, the organization supports Indigenous communities in achieving self-determination, preserving their cultures, languages, and traditional knowledge, and strengthening political and environmental resilience. As of 2025, Cultural Survival holds a four-star rating fromCharity Navigator.[1]
Cultural Survival’smission is to "advocate for Indigenous Peoples' rights and supports Indigenous communities’ self-determination, cultures and political resilience." Cultural Survivalenvisions "a future that respects and honors Indigenous Peoples' inherent rights and dynamic cultures, deeply and richly interwoven in lands, languages, spiritual traditions, and artistic expression, rooted in self-determination and self-governance."
Founded byDavid Maybury-Lewis,Evon Zartman Vogt, andOrlando Patterson —professors atHarvard University — and Pia Maybury‑Lewis[2] (wife of David Maybury-Lewis), the organization originated in response to their fieldwork among theXerente andXavante peoples in Brazil during the 1950s and 60s. Their experiences observing the threats posed by Amazonian development inspired the creation of a global advocacy organization for Indigenous human rights.
Cultural Survival’s first office opened on March 2, 1972, on the fifth floor ofHarvard’s Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology. Early leadership included David Maybury‑Lewis as President, Orlando Patterson as Treasurer, Evon Z. Vogt Jr. as Clerk, and Pia Maybury‑Lewis as co-founder. Today, its main office is located at 2067 Massachusetts Avenue,Cambridge, onMassachusett land.
The organization became Indigenous‑led in 2011 when Suzanne Benally (Navajo and Santa Clara Tewa) was appointed Executive Director, becoming its first Indigenous leader. She was succeeded in 2019 by Galina Angarova (Buryat), and the currentExecutive Director, Aimee Roberson (Choctaw & Chickasaw), assumed the role in July 2024.
Cultural Survival executes a holistic strategy comprisinggrantmaking,capacity building,advocacy,Indigenous communications, andCultural Survival Bazaars.Programmatic priorities include climate change solutions, land rights and livelihoods, cultural and language revitalization, and Indigenous community media. A cross-cutting focus is placed on Indigenous women and youth.
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