- Native American ritual.native maya dancer image by Pierrette Guertin from Fotolia.com
Native American governments are offered a number of avenues for support from the United States in order to help maintain and promote the indigenous cultures and heritages of North America. Watershed issues, water resources, wildlife management and cultural heritages are all critical to the survival and development of Native American people. - The U.S. National Park Service (NPS) offers tribal heritage grants, initiated under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. This act allows grants to be given to federally acknowledged American Indian tribes specifically for cultural and historic preservation projects. Included in this category are Indian tribes, Alaskan Natives, and Native Hawaiian organizations, in order to support, protect and help their unique cultural heritages and traditions to survive and prosper. The program was initially designed for Indian tribes; therefore, it focuses on what they consider most important to protect--native languages, oral histories, plant and animal species that are crucial to tribe traditions, sacred and historic locations--and the establishment of offices to support the preservation of these aspects of tribal culture. More than $17 million have been distributed to over 460 Indian and Alaskan Native groups since 1990.
Tribal Preservation Program
Heritage Preservation Services, National Park Service
1201 Eye St. NW, 2255
Washington, DC 20005
Phone: James Bird at (202) 354-1837
Fax: (202) 371-1794
E-mail: nps_hps-info@nps.gov
Website: nps.gov - The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) has worked with Native American governments for many decades to help preserve and manage fish and wildlife resources. The relationship between the FWS and these governments will grow according to available resources. The FWS hopes to improve these relationships by building upon current cooperation and communication channels, by providing fish and wildlife management experience, by training and counseling, and by appreciating and using the traditional wisdom, experience and understanding of Native Americans. The FWS will help these Native American governments to identify Federal and non-Federal sources for grants that are appropriate for fish and wildlife resource management. Fish and Wildlife Conservation Offices (FWCO) are the ones who offer the technical assistance to tribal governments, as well as any other state or federal agencies. FWCO biologists assist in calculating fish and wildlife resources on protected reservations. They help implement management plans, coordinate improvements on fisheries or fish habitats, and assist in evaluating the results of implemented directives.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Native American Liaison
4401 N. Fairfax Dr. MS-330
Arlington, VA 22203
Contact: Pat Durham at (703) 358-1728
Website: http://www.fws.gov/nativeamerican/regions.htm - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency offers grants based upon environmental needs, and they frequently go to Native American tribes. The "Find Grant Opportunities" feature at Grants.gov helps individuals or organizations to digitally locate and apply for grants that are currently being offered from all authorized federal agencies. Grants.gov is a central online location for over 900 grant programs being supported by 26 federal grant-making agencies. The managing branch of the federal government for Grants.gov is the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The EPA places summaries of competitive grant opportunities on Grants.gov. The types of grants offered fall into a number of categories, mainly air, toxic, waste, and water. If you would like more information, please contact the EPA for details.
Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Grants and Debarment
Mail Code: 3901
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 20460
Phone: (202) 564-5315
Website: http://www.epa.gov/ogd/contact.htm
E-Mail: ogdweb.gad@epa.gov
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