Establishing the Light-Bearer Grant Initiative and the Office of Restorative Economics

EXECUTIVE ORDER

ESTABLISHING THE LIGHT-BEARER GRANT INITIATIVE AND THE OFFICE OF RESTORATIVE ECONOMICS

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered as follows:

PREAMBLE

The American experiment was founded on a promise: that here, a person could live freely, contribute meaningfully, and pursue happiness not as a commodity but as a birthright.

For generations, we have strayed from that promise.

In its place, we have built a system that measures prosperity by extraction, values efficiency over presence, and confuses motion with progress. It is a system that rewards those who can numb themselves to its violence and punishes those who feel too deeply, give too freely, and love too openly.

These individuals—the caregivers who hold our communities together without title or wage, the empaths who absorb the pain of others and ask nothing in return, the artists who remind us of our humanity, the healers who work in the quiet spaces where no insurance claim reaches, the elders who sit with the dying and the young, the sensitive souls who notice what the rest of us have trained ourselves to ignore—these are not anomalies to be corrected.

They are prophets of a better way.

Long before these shores were called America, there were peoples here who understood what we are only beginning to remember. That true wealth is not what you accumulate, but what you hold in trust for the seventh generation. That land is not a resource to be extracted, but a relative to be honored. That the work of the healer, the storyteller, the elder, the one who remembers—this work is not marginal. It is the work that makes all other work possible.

These peoples—the original Light-Bearers of this continent—were the first target of the extractive system we now seek to replace. They were targeted not despite their way of life, but because of it. Their existence was proof that another world was possible. And that proof had to be erased.

It was not erased. It endured. Through genocide, through forced assimilation, through centuries of broken promises, through boarding schools designed to beat the memory out of children, the knowledge survived. It survived in ceremonies conducted in secret. In languages spoken only in whispers. In stories told when the children came home. In the stubborn, radical, beautiful persistence of peoples who refused to become what the extractors wanted them to become.

That persistence is not just history. It is fuel. It is proof that the old system cannot win, because it has already tried its worst and the Light-Bearers are still here.

We do not come to this work as inventors. We come as students. We come as relatives. We come to resource the very peoples whose light was almost extinguished so that the extractors could have this land to themselves.

For too long, we have asked all Light-Bearers to fit into a machine that was never designed for them. We have called them impractical. We have called them unproductive. We have watched them struggle with the mundane demands of a world that does not speak their language, and we have done nothing.

This ends now.

The old system is not merely flawed. It is functionally and morally obsolete. It consumes what it cannot create. It extracts from what it cannot replenish. It grinds down the very souls whose gifts we most desperately need.

A nation that cannot resource its healers is a nation that has chosen sickness.

A nation that cannot fund its artists is a nation that has chosen silence.

A nation that cannot support its empaths is a nation that has chosen loneliness.

A nation that continues to ignore the original peoples of this land is a nation that has chosen amnesia.

We choose differently.

We choose to remember. We choose to resource. We choose to build.

Therefore, by the authority vested in me as President of the United States by the Constitution and the laws thereof, and by the moral authority of a people ready to choose life over extraction, it is hereby ordered as follows:

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SECTION 1: ESTABLISHMENT

1.1 There is hereby established within the Executive Office of the President the Office of Restorative Economics (hereinafter "the Office").

1.2 The purpose of the Office shall be to identify, resource, and protect individuals and initiatives that demonstrate a primary commitment to empathy, healing, community care, and the non-extractive service of others—herein designated as Light-Bearers.

1.3 The Office shall be directed by an individual appointed by the President, who shall be known as the Director of Restorative Economics.

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SECTION 2: THE LIGHT-BEARER GRANT INITIATIVE

2.1 There is hereby established within the Office the Light-Bearer Grant Initiative (hereinafter "the Initiative").

2.2 The Initiative shall administer a program of direct, unrestricted grants to recognized Light-Bearers for the purpose of enabling, sustaining, and scaling their work.

2.3 Grant awards shall range from $25,000 to $100,000 per recipient, with aggregate annual appropriations to be determined through the ordinary budget process but targeted to reach no fewer than 10,000 Light-Bearers in the first full fiscal year of operation.

2.4 Grants shall be awarded based on the following criteria:

(a) Authenticity of Vocation: The applicant demonstrates a sustained pattern of empathetic engagement, healing presence, or community service that cannot be adequately compensated or supported through existing economic structures.

(b) Community Recognition: The applicant is identified and recommended by members of their community who can attest to the value and impact of their work.

(c) Non-Extractive Intent: The applicant's work is primarily motivated by service, healing, or connection rather than by financial accumulation or institutional power.

(d) Structural Vulnerability: The applicant has experienced material hardship or systemic marginalization as a result of their alignment with Light-Bearer values.

2.5 Applications shall be reviewed by rotating community councils composed of:

(a) Previously recognized Light-Bearers;

(b) Local community members familiar with the applicant's work; and

(c) Such other individuals as the Director may deem appropriate to ensure diverse and grounded perspectives.

2.6 No applicant shall be disqualified for inability to produce formal business plans, financial projections, or institutional credentials. The Initiative shall operate on a principle of radical trust, recognizing that the old system's metrics are not equipped to measure what Light-Bearers offer.

2.7 Tribal and Indigenous Priority

(a) In the administration of the Light-Bearer Grant Initiative, the Office shall prioritize applications from enrolled members of federally recognized tribes, state-recognized tribes, and other organized Indigenous communities.

(b) The Office shall establish, within the first 90 days of operation, a Tribal Consultation Protocol to ensure that grantmaking to Indigenous Light-Bearers is conducted in a manner consistent with tribal sovereignty, cultural protocols, and community self-determination.

(c) Nothing in this Order shall be construed to interfere with tribal sovereignty or to impose federal definitions of "Light-Bearer" on Indigenous communities that have their own traditions, languages, and understandings of these roles. Where tribal definitions exist, they shall control.

(d) The Office shall, in consultation with tribal nations, establish a separate grant track for Indigenous Language and Ceremony Preservation, recognizing that language and ceremony are the vessels through which Light-Bearer wisdom has been carried across generations.

(e) The Office shall further establish a grant track for Indigenous Elder and Healer Support, providing direct, unrestricted resources to elders and traditional healers who serve as knowledge keepers and community anchors, recognizing that their work has been systematically under resourced while forming the foundation of Indigenous community health and resilience.

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SECTION 3: STRUCTURAL PROTECTION OF LIGHT-BEARER VENTURES

3.1 The Office shall establish and fund a Legal Stewardship Program to provide free legal assistance to grant recipients and other Light-Bearers seeking to structure their work in forms that are permanently protected from extractive acquisition.

3.2 Acceptable structural forms shall include but not be limited to:

(a) Perpetual Purpose Trusts;

(b) Worker-Owned Cooperatives;

(c) Steward-Owned Entities;

(d) Nonprofit Corporations with mission-locked bylaws;

(e) Low-Profit Limited Liability Companies (L3Cs) with explicit charitable purposes; and

(f) Such other structures as the Director may determine provide permanent protection against acquisition by private equity, venture capital, or other extractive entities.

3.3 The Office shall maintain and publish a public Registry of Un-Acquirable Enterprises, consisting of businesses and initiatives that have legally committed to remaining mission-locked and community-owned in perpetuity.

3.4 Federal agencies shall, to the extent permitted by law, prioritize contracting with entities listed on the Registry of Un-Acquirable Enterprises.

3.5 Protection of Indigenous Knowledge

(a) The Legal Stewardship Program shall include specialized support for Indigenous communities seeking to protect traditional knowledge, ceremonial practices, cultural expressions, and medicinal practices from extraction, commodification, and misappropriation by non-Indigenous entities.

(b) The Office shall consult with tribal nations on the development of legal tools to ensure that Indigenous cultural heritage, including but not limited to languages, songs, stories, designs, and plant knowledge, cannot be patented, copyrighted, or otherwise claimed by extractive interests.

(c) The Office shall work with the Patent and Trademark Office and the Copyright Office to develop mechanisms for preventing the unauthorized commercialization of Indigenous cultural heritage.

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SECTION 4: REDEFINING NATIONAL PROGRESS

4.1 The Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with the Director of the Office of Restorative Economics, tribal nations, and such other agencies as may be relevant, shall develop and publish a National Well-Being Index (hereinafter "the Index").

4.2 The Index shall measure, at regular intervals and with appropriate demographic and geographic granularity:

(a) Rates of loneliness and social isolation;

(b) Prevalence of depression, anxiety, and other mental health indicators;

(c) Access to empathetic care and healing resources;

(d) Community cohesion and trust;

(e) Sense of purpose and meaning among the population;

(f) Indigenous language fluency and ceremonial access;

(g) Such other indicators of human and community flourishing as the Secretary and Director may identify.

4.3 The Index shall be given equal weight to traditional economic indicators in all policy analysis, budget submissions, and interagency planning processes.

4.4 The Council of Economic Advisers shall include in its annual report a detailed analysis of trends in the National Well-Being Index and recommendations for policy responses.

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SECTION 5: AGENCY COORDINATION

5.1 The Director of the Office of Restorative Economics shall coordinate with the following agencies to ensure alignment of federal resources with the purposes of this Order:

(a) The Department of Health and Human Services, to identify Light-Bearers working in community health, mental health, and elder care, and to direct resources toward community-based healing models, including traditional Indigenous healing practices;

(b) The Department of Education, to support Light-Bearers working in alternative education, youth mentoring, and social-emotional learning, including Indigenous language immersion and culture-based education;

(c) The Department of Housing and Urban Development, to resource Light-Bearers creating community spaces, sanctuaries, and cooperative housing models, including tribal housing initiatives;

(d) The National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities, to significantly expand support for Light-Bearers working in creative and cultural fields, with specific funding streams for Indigenous artists, storytellers, and culture bearers;

(e) The Small Business Administration, to develop specialized lending and technical assistance programs for mission-locked, un-acquirable enterprises, including tribally owned and operated businesses;

(f) The Department of the Treasury, to explore tax incentives and other financial mechanisms that favor restorative over extractive economic activity;

(g) The Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Indian Affairs, to ensure coordination with tribal nations and alignment with federal trust responsibilities;

(h) The Indian Health Service, to support traditional healers and integrate Indigenous healing practices into broader health delivery where requested by tribal nations.

(i) The Secretary shall, within 60 days of this Order, identify all existing discretionary funds, grant programs, and transfer authorities that can be directed toward the purposes of this Order, and shall submit to the Director a plan for such reallocation.

5.2 Each agency identified in Section 5.1 shall designate a senior official to serve as liaison to the Office of Restorative Economics.

5.3 The Office shall maintain a government-to-government relationship with federally recognized tribes and shall ensure that all programs and resources are made available to tribal nations in ways that respect sovereignty, self-determination, and cultural protocols.

5.4 Identification of Unobligated Balances

Within 90 days of this Order, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, in consultation with the Director of the Office of Restorative Economics and the heads of all relevant agencies, shall identify all unobligated balances, expired funds, and other available resources that may be transferred or repurposed to support the Light-Bearer Grant Initiative, consistent with the Economy Act (31 U.S.C. 1535-1536) and other applicable transfer authorities.

5.5 Emergency Designation Authority

The Secretary of Health and Human Services is directed to evaluate whether the loneliness epidemic, mental health crisis, and community fragmentation addressed by this Order constitute a public health emergency warranting the use of Public Health Emergency Fund authorities or other emergency funding mechanisms, and shall report findings to the President within 60 days.

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SECTION 6: DEFINITIONS

For purposes of this Order:

(a) "Light-Bearer" means an individual whose primary orientation and life activity involves the provision of empathy, healing, presence, care, or community connection, without primary regard for material compensation, and whose work contributes measurably to the well-being of others. This term includes but is not limited to traditional healers, ceremony keepers, language teachers, elders, storytellers, and culture bearers within Indigenous communities.

(b) "Extractive Entity" means any corporation, partnership, or other business organization whose primary business model involves acquiring enterprises for the purpose of extracting value through financial engineering, cost reduction that degrades mission, or resale without regard to long-term community or stakeholder impact. This includes but is not limited to private equity firms, hedge funds engaging in corporate acquisitions, and similar entities.

(c) "Mission-Locked" means structured in a manner that legally prioritizes the stated purpose of the entity over the maximization of shareholder or owner value, and that includes enforceable provisions preventing dissolution of that priority through sale or merger.

(d) "Restorative Economics" means economic activity that prioritizes healing, connection, community resilience, and ecological sustainability over extraction, accumulation, and growth for its own sake.

(e) "Tribal Nations" means federally recognized Indian tribes, as well as state-recognized tribes and other organized Indigenous communities, with the understanding that sovereignty and self-determination are fundamental rights not granted by but inherent to these nations.

(f) "Traditional Knowledge" means the knowledge, innovations, and practices of Indigenous and local communities developed from experience over centuries, adapted to local culture and environment, and transmitted orally or through practice from generation to generation.

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SECTION 7: IMPLEMENTATION

7.1 This Order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.

7.2 The Director of the Office of Restorative Economics shall, within 90 days of the date of this Order, submit to the President a detailed implementation plan, including proposed budget requirements, staffing needs, and regulatory actions.

7.3 The Director shall provide quarterly reports to the President on the progress of the Initiative, including numbers of grants awarded, demographic and geographic distribution of recipients, qualitative accounts of impact, and specific reporting on outcomes within tribal communities.

7.4 The Director shall, within one year of the date of this Order, convene a Tribal Nations Summit on Restorative Economics to assess progress, receive guidance, and strengthen the government-to-government relationship in the implementation of this Order.

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SECTION 8: GENERAL PROVISIONS

8.1 Nothing in this Order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

(a) The authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or

(b) The functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

8.2 This Order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.

8.3 Nothing in this Order shall be construed to diminish or interfere with tribal sovereignty, treaty rights, or the trust responsibility of the United States toward tribal nations.

8.4 This Order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.

8.5 If any provision of this Order, or the application of any provision to any person or circumstance, is held to be invalid, the remainder of this Order and the application of its provisions to any other persons or circumstances shall not be affected thereby.

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 20th day of January 2029.

Signed,

Vincent Cordova
President of the United States