LINCOLN, Neb.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Arbor Day Foundation subawards $8 million in grants to support community forestry on Indigenous lands. The 16 subawardees are all federally recognized Tribes, Tribal organizations, or an organization working in a Tribal community. In total, 26 Tribes will be directly impacted through these projects. The grant opportunity was established in partnership with the USDA Forest Service, utilizing Inflation Reduction Act funds. The opportunity saw great demand with more than 50 applicants.
The grants awarded will be used to plant trees and grow green spaces on or near Indigenous lands. Proposed projects range in focus from food sovereignty to workforce development. A full list of the Tribal subawardees is below.
“This is a unique opportunity to use trees to create lasting, positive change in areas that have long been deprived of green resources,” said Dan Lambe, chief executive of the Arbor Day Foundation. “We know our subawardees understand the needs of their community better than we ever could. So, we’ll be walking alongside them in this journey, using federal funds to empower them and their vision for their land.”
The USDA Forest Service awarded the Arbor Day Foundation a $50 million Inflation Reduction Act grant in 2023. The nonprofit has already subawarded $31.7 million of the funding to municipalities and community-based organizations across the country.
Today’s announcement coincides with the observance of Indigenous Peoples’ Day. The holiday honors the history of Indigenous Peoples in America and celebrates their diverse cultures.
TRIBAL FUNDING RECIPIENTS |
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Awardee |
Project Name |
Area of Focus |
Bad River Band and Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians with Fruit Tree Planting Foundation |
Intertribal Community Tree Planting for Food Sovereignty & Land Renewal: Bad River and Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa |
WI |
Bay Mills Indian Community with Fruit Tree Planting Foundation |
Bay Mills Indian Community: Tree Planting for Food Sovereignty, Land Stewardship, & Cultural Resilience |
MI |
Catawba Nation with Fruit Tree Planting Foundation |
Healing the Earth as We Heal Ourselves: Catawba Nation Orchard & Forest Planting |
SC |
Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes, Oklahoma |
Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes Multi-Site Restoration for Climate Resiliency |
OK |
Cocopah Tribe of Arizona with Arizona Community Tree Council, Inc. |
Colorado River Tribal Arboriculture Youth Conservation Corps |
AZ |
Louden Tribe with Galena City School District |
Restoring Our Original Terrain and Species |
AK |
Miccosukee Tribe of Indians |
Miccosukee Community Forest Project |
FL |
Native Village of Tyonek |
Establishing a Tribal Community Food Forest to Promote Food Sovereignty and Traditional Ecological Knowledge in the Native Village of Tyonek |
AK |
Navajo Nation and Pueblo of Zuni with Fruit Tree Planting Foundation |
Navajo Nation & Zuni Pueblo: Health and Healing through Orchards |
AZ, NM |
Omaha Tribe of Nebraska with Midlands Community Foundation |
Omaha Indian Tribe Project |
NE |
Ponca Tribe of Nebraska |
Community Garden and Reforestation Initiative |
NE |
Pueblo of Picuris, New Mexico |
Picuris Community Roots Program |
NM |
Quapaw Nation |
Northeast Oklahoma Tribal Community Roots Initiative |
OK |
Rappahannock Tribe, Inc. with Friends of the Rappahannock, Inc. |
Building Capacity for Forest Stewardship on Ancestral Lands of the Rappahannock Tribe |
VA |
Rosebud Sioux Tribe of the Rosebud Indian Reservation, South Dakota with Rosebud Economic Development Corp |
Creating a Sustainable Treescape at Keya Wakpala |
SD |
The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma |
Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma Community Roots Program |
OK |
About the Arbor Day Foundation
Founded in 1972, the Arbor Day Foundation is the largest nonprofit membership organization dedicated to planting trees. Together with our partners, we have helped plant more than 500 million trees in neighborhoods, communities, cities and forests throughout the world. Our vision is to lead toward a world where trees are used to solve issues critical to survival. Through our members, partners and programs, the Arbor Day Foundation inspires people across the globe to plant, nurture and celebrate trees. More information is available at arborday.org.
