Regional Reciprocity Trusts are Indigenous-led, with each participating Nation given the opportunity to appoint a Trustee to govern the Trust at any time. The Trustees of the South Island Trust, for example, have adopted the Coast Salish Principle of Naut’sa Mawt (together with one heart and one mind) to guide decision making.

Beneficiary Nations have total discretion over the use of their received funds, but are encouraged to put them towards land-, language- and Nation-building initiatives.