WASHINGTON – Assistant Secretary -- Indian Affairs Tara Katuk Sweeney announced today that the U.S. Department of Interior’s Office of Indian Energy and Economic Development (IEED) has approved $3 million in Living Languages Grant Program (LLGP) funds to 18 federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native tribes and villages to document, preserve, and revitalize Native languages.

“A tribe’s traditional language is the foundation of cultural identity and is essential for the survival of our Native cultures, histories and values,” said Assistant Secretary Sweeney. “I’m proud that Indian Affairs has created an opportunity for language promotion and revitalization. The IEED Living Languages Gants Program is there to support tribal efforts to preserve and actively promote traditional language usage. I congratulate the awardees from this round of funding, and I wish them success in their language preservation programs. I also encourage other tribes to apply during the next Living Language grants funding opportunity.”

Grant submissions were rated on how effectively the language programs would document, preserve, or revitalize a Native language; the degree to which the language addressed by a proposal risks extinction; the likelihood that the instruction to be funded would revitalize the language by preventing intergenerational disruption; and the number of students or percentage of tribal members the proposal would benefit.

While only tribes were eligible for LLGP grants, grantees can retain tribal organizations, or for-profit and non-profit community groups to perform a grant’s scope of work.

LLGP grantees and amounts funded are:

Cherokee Nation, OK: $200,000

Citizen Potawatomi Nation, OK: $200,066

Comanche Nation, OK: $169,443

Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana: $198,559

Douglas Indian Association, AK: $199,645

Forest County Potawatomi Community, WI: $189,326

Hydaburg Cooperative Association, AK: $188,430

Igiugig Village, AK: $138,088

Lummi Tribe, WA: $168,969

Makah Indian Tribe, WA: $73,156

Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, MA: $200,000

Rosebud Sioux Tribe, SD: $199,829

Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, AZ: $64,700

Skokomish Indian Tribe, WA: $185,319

Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation, CA: $131,858

Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, CO: $191,570

Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska: $100,717

Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation, CA: $200,000

IEED is administering the Living Languages Grant Program through its Division of Economic Development (DED). Please visit the IEED website for more information about other IEED programs and services.