Pokagon Band Grants

The Pokagon Fund, established through a 2000 agreement, supports communities near Band Trust Lands by providing strategic grants aimed at reducing poverty, enhancing education, and promoting community vitality. With over $23 million awarded, the Fund focuses on initiatives that foster local development, including substantial educational support and assistance for food-insecure families. By investing in these communities, the Fund aims to create a thriving environment for residents of Hartford, Dowagiac, and South Bend.

The Pokagon Fund History
The Pokagon Fund has its roots in an agreement made on March 13, 2000 (as amended), between the City of New Buffalo, New Buffalo Township, and the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians. This agreement called for the establishment of a nonprofit entity to receive and distribute a percentage of the net win from certain games at the Four Winds Casino Resort – New Buffalo, which is owned by the Pokagon Band.
Our Beliefs
The founders of The Pokagon Fund believe that encouraging the development of the communities bordering the Band Trust Land Consolidation sites is a wonderful opportunity to create a better place for all residents to thrive.
The Fund provides strategic grant support to initiatives that help reduce the burden of poverty, strengthen our local schools and student achievement, enhance the success of our residents, and provide vital support to our rural communities.
Education
The Pokagon Fund’s commitment to education is reflected in the awarding of more than $2.5 million in grants and scholarships to the New Buffalo and River Valley school systems — more than 10% of the $23 million that has been awarded by the fund to date. Consistent with its belief that education is an area of greatest need for residents, one of our key goals is to help our youngest children have a successful educational experience.
Poverty Reduction
Statistics reveal the rates of poverty in Berrien County for both the overall population (17.7%) and for children (26.2%) exceed state and national levels. Approximately one in five local families is food insecure, and over 10% of the households in Berrien County have annual incomes of less than $15,000. The Pokagon Fund has committed to using its resources to provide food to the needy and help reduce the overall poverty rate by supporting community resource and referral services.
Community Vitality
Fostering community vitality involves improving the quality of life, lifting the spirits and increasing the happiness of a community. The Pokagon Fund contributes to large and small projects that enrich and enhance the lives of Harbor Country® residents. These may range from larger, collaborative efforts with our local municipalities to build parks and expand conservation areas to smaller projects that enhance the local capacity.
The Pokagon Fund’s Grants for Communities surrounding Band Trust Lands (“Band Grants”) are awarded for projects that directly benefit the following communities or their residents: Hartford, Michigan; Dowagiac, Michigan; or South Bend, Indiana.

Eligibility

To be eligible to receive a Band Grant from Fund, an organization must be classified by the Internal Revenue Service as tax-exempt under Section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code.In rare and very limited circumstances, TPF may make a grant to an organization that is not so categorized if it is seeking funding for a purpose that is listed in Section 170(c)(2)(B) of the IRC (an applicant must contact TPF staff prior to beginning an application if she or he believes the proposed project falls into this category). All funding awarded by TPF must be used for a charitable purpose.