Economic Opportunity Grants

Program Focus: Supports effective tools and resources that improve Indian use and control of reservation lands for long-term community benefit.

Overview:
Indian Country has seen funding sources come and go over the past 100 years with largely unsuccessful efforts to reduce poverty and prevent further loss of Indian land. Despite popular belief, only a small number of Indian nations and Indian people have benefited substantially from casino revenues. ILTF supports effective tools and resources that improve Indian use and control of reservation lands for the long-term benefit of their community.

Project Goals:

• Help tribal communities prioritize land acquisition
• Understand and create opportunities for productive use of Indian land
• Develop mechanisms to expand direct owner management of their land

Eligible Entities:

• Tribal, local and state governments
• Nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) designation
• Institutions

Activities NOT Funded:

• Advocacy and lobbying efforts to influence legislation
• Endowments
• Land purchases
• Benefits, fundraisers, walk-a-thons, telethons, galas, etc.
• Scholarships, tuition assistance or other direct funding to individuals
• Special events (except when event is key strategy in continuum of efforts to achieve community goals)

Example Grantees:

• Rock Creek Buffalo Project: ILTF supported efforts to bring back the buffalo along with healthy lands, diets and economies to American Indian people. In 2017, ILTF supported the Rock Creek Buffalo Project on the Standing Rock Reservation in South Dakota's Rock Creek District (nearly a million acres). Support provided resources to build fencing to contain at least 100 members of a growing herd at the 15,000-acre Shambo Ranch. Additional impacts include job training, employment opportunities, community sharing and youth engagement program for buffalo ranching.

• Village Earth Lakota Lands Recovery Project: Village Earth conducts research, outreach and advocacy focused on increasing control that Lakota people have over their lands and resources. Developed with the Oglala Sioux Tribe Land Office, the Pine Ridge Land Information System (PRLIS) is a web-based tool helping Tribe members access information about lands and resources. PRLIS allows searching for individually allotted and Tribally-owned trust lands using Tract ID and viewing/printing/sharing specific land tract boundaries. Available online at http://lakotalands.net/prlis/

How to Apply

1. Submit a Letter of Inquiry (LOI)
- Review eligibility requirements and funding priorities before submitting
- Review list of activities ILTF does not fund
- Send letter of inquiry to ILTF

Contact Information: