Native American Heritage Fund Announces 2019 Grant Recipients

By Native News Online Staff - August 09, 2019 at 12:00AM

Published August 9, 2019

NAHF Supports Projects in Seven Michigan Communities

MARSHALL, Mich. — The Native American Heritage Fund (NAHF) Board selected projects in seven Michigan communities as recipients of the fund’s 2019 grants, at the Board’s July 29 meeting.

The 2019 NAHF grants include:

1. Bay de Noc Community College – $6,000 to publicly acknowledge the Treaty of 1836 through a public plaque on each campus and a Treaty Day celebration
2. Godfrey-Lee Public Schools – $98,000 to rebrand the current mascot from “Rebels” to a new mascot and nickname that is culturally responsive
3. Grand Rapids Community College – $5,285 to support the Grand Rapids Community College Education and Reconciliation Project including a trip to the Ziibawing Center of Anishinaabe Culture and Lifeways and a Native American Speaker’s Forum
4. Indigenous Law and Policy Center at Michigan State University College of Law – $20,000 to provide a two-day symposium, Native Family Day, and ancillary programming throughout the year
5. Monroe County Community College – $199,234 to create curriculum and a set of immersion experiences for K-12 students, focused on how to research stories from the Native perspective
6. Northern Michigan University – $134,612.80 to expand Anishinabék language course offerings at undergraduate and graduate levels
7. The Friendship Community/LIFT Teen Center – $16,650 to support an overnight backpacking trip to South Minitou Island, exposing students to the history of the Ottawa tribe

The fund, which was approved in 2016 as part of the Second Amendment to the Tribal-State Gaming Compact between NHBP and the State of Michigan, allocates a portion of NHBP’s state revenue sharing payments to the NAHF.

Michigan’s K-12 schools, colleges, universities, and local units of government were eligible for funding through the NAHF to defray the costs of projects that promote positive relationships and accurate information about the history and role of Michigan’s Indian tribes and Native Americans in the state.

The NAHF Board is composed of: Chairperson Jamie Stuck (NHBP Tribal Council Chairperson); Vice Chairperson Dorie Rios (NHBP Tribal Council Vice Chairperson); Secretary Elizabeth Kinnart (Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians Citizen); Treasurer Melissa Kiesewetter (Michigan Dept. of Civil Rights Tribal Liaison/Native American Specialist); and Board Member Kimberly Vargo (Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Vice Chairperson).

For media inquiries, or to request an interview with NAHF Board Chairperson Jamie Stuck, please contact NHBP Communications Manager Sara Moore at 269.704.8314.

For questions regarding the NAHF grant process, please contact Calhoun County Administrator/Controller Kelli Scott at 269.781.0966.

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