Press Release

U.S. Department of Commerce Invests $4 Million in CARES Act Funding to Boost Economic Development Programs Critical to Helping Native American Planning

WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding $4 million in CARES Act Recovery Assistance grants to Native American planning organizations across the nation to update economic development plans and fortify programs to assist communities in responding to the coronavirus pandemic.

“The Trump Administration is eager to allocate these essential CARES Act funds and deliver on our promise to help Native American communities recover from the impact of COVID-19,” said Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross. “I am proud of the perseverance and strength shown by our communities coast to coast throughout this pandemic, and these funds will help provide Native American planning organizations with resources to make a swift and lasting economic comeback.”

“This investment comes at a crucial time to help the economies of Native American communities and our nation’s economy come roaring back and provide hard-working Americans with new opportunities,” said Dana Gartzke, Performing the Delegated Duties of the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development. “We are pleased to make these investment in our Native American planning organization grantees to help them prevent, prepare, and respond to coronavirus.”

The EDA investments announced today are:

• The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, Choctaw, Mississippi, will receive a $150,000 EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to respond to the coronavirus pandemic by developing and implementing strategies to grow the region’s manufacturing sector.
• The Lower Brule Sioux Tribe, Lower Brule, South Dakota, will receive a $150,000 EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to respond to the coronavirus pandemic by expanding tribal communication infrastructure to allow the tribe to better respond to vital community needs.
• The Spirit Lake Tribe, Fort Totten, North Dakota, will receive a $150,000 EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to respond to the coronavirus pandemic by hiring an economic development specialist that will advance efforts by the Nation to comprehensively address the Tribal and non-Tribal businesses within reservation boundaries to recover from the pandemic and prepare for future pandemics.
• The Crow Tribe of Indians, Crow Agency, Montana, will receive a $150,000 EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to respond to the coronavirus pandemic by increasing their capacity to provide technical assistance to the community and tribal businesses.
• The Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, Belcourt, North Dakota, will receive a $150,000 EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to respond to the coronavirus pandemic by increasing their capacity to provide technical assistance to the community and tribal businesses.
• The Inter-Tribal Council of Michigan, Inc., Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan, will receive a $150,000 EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to respond to the coronavirus pandemic by providing extensive training, and economic development assistance via virtual and on-site programming.
• The Spokane Tribe of the Spokane Reservation, Wellpinit, Washington, will receive a $150,000 EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to respond to the coronavirus pandemic by establishing a framework that will improve the economic resiliency of the Spokane Tribe and ultimately the entire northeast region of Washington State.
• The Yankton Sioux Tribe, Wagner, South Dakota, will receive a $150,000 EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to respond to the coronavirus pandemic by increasing their capacity to provide technical assistance to the community and tribal businesses.
• Three Affiliated Tribes, New Town, North Dakota, will receive a $150,000 EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to respond to the coronavirus pandemic by hiring staff to develop recovery strategies and address workforce needs.
• The Oglala Sioux Tribe of Pine Ridge Indian Reservations, Pine Ridge, South Dakota, will receive a $150,000 EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to respond to the coronavirus pandemic by increasing their capacity to provide technical assistance to the community and tribal businesses.
• The Fort Belknap Indian Community, Harlem, Montana, will receive a $150,000 EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to respond to the coronavirus pandemic by increasing their capacity to provide technical assistance to the community and tribal businesses.
• The Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, Eagle Butte, South Dakota, will receive a $150,000 EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to respond to the coronavirus pandemic by providing ongoing analysis and technical support to businesses, stakeholders, and related networking entities to address economic needs.
• The Chippewa Cree Tribe of the Rocky Boy Reservation, Box Elder, Montana, will receive a $150,000 EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to respond to the coronavirus pandemic by increasing their capacity to provide technical assistance to the community and tribal businesses.
• The Rosebud Sioux Tribe, Rosebud, South Dakota, will receive a $150,000 EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to respond to the coronavirus pandemic by developing an agricultural plan to guide efforts to become more self-reliant in securing adequate and affordable food for its citizens.
• The Blackfeet Tribe of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, Browning, Montana, will receive a $147,053 EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to respond to the coronavirus pandemic by hiring a regional disaster economic recovery coordinator and developing an economic disaster recovery and resiliency plan.
• The Fort Peck Assiniboine & Sioux Tribes, Poplar, Montana, will receive a $149,443 EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to respond to the coronavirus pandemic by increasing their capacity to provide technical assistance to the community and tribal businesses.
• The Coquille Indian Tribe, North Bend, Oregon, will receive a $150,000 EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to respond to the coronavirus pandemic by supporting the growth of the region’s timber economy and supporting workforce needs.
• The Burns Paiute Tribe, Burns, Oregon, will receive a $149,794 EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to respond to the coronavirus pandemic by developing recovery and resiliency strategies that will be incorporated into the Tribe’s Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS).
• The Hopi Tribe, Kykotsmovi Village, Arizona, will receive a $150,000 EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to respond to the coronavirus pandemic by providing technical assistance and strategic planning Hopi villages and businesses.
• Dry Creek Rancheria Band of Pomo Indians, Santa Rosa, California, will receive a $149,982 EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to respond to the coronavirus pandemic by engaging in economic development recovery planning and by providing technical assistance to businesses to preserve jobs and prevent further economic distress.
• The Inter-Tribal Council of Arizona, Inc., Phoenix, Arizona, will receive a $150,000 EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to respond to the coronavirus pandemic by providing economic recovery and resilience planning and support to Tribes across Arizona.
• The Inter-Tribal Council Inc., Miami, Oklahoma, will receive a $150,000 EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to respond to the coronavirus pandemic by hiring additional staff and developing strategies to boost the region’s critical tourism sector.
• The Southern Ute Indian Tribe, Ignacio, Colorado, will receive a $150,000 EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to respond to the coronavirus pandemic by increasing their capacity to provide technical assistance to the community and tribal businesses.
• The Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate Tribe, Agency Village, South Dakota, will receive a $149,942 EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to respond to the coronavirus pandemic by hiring additional staff and supporting workforce needs.
• The Northern Cheyenne Tribe, Lame Deer, Montana, will receive a $150,000 EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to respond to the coronavirus pandemic by upgrading technology to help with virtual communications, hiring grant writers to assist with infrastructure development, and updating their Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) to prepare the community to move forward with resiliency efforts.
• The Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, Towaoc, Colorado, will receive a $150,000 EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to respond to the coronavirus pandemic by increasing their capacity to provide technical assistance to the community and tribal businesses.
• The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, Pendleton, Oregon, will receive a $150,000 EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to respond to the coronavirus pandemic by preparing the Tribe and Tribe’s ceded territory to secure resources.

These Native American planning organizations, all current EDA-designated Native American planning grantees, are some of the more than 850 existing, high-performing EDA Economic Development District, University Center, Tribal, and Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) grant recipients invited to apply for supplemental funding under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

The CARES Act, signed into law by President Donald J. Trump, provides EDA with $1.5 billion for economic development assistance programs to help communities prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus pandemic.

On May 7, Secretary Ross announced that EDA is accepting applications for CARES Act Recovery Assistance funding opportunities.

EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance, which is being administered under the authority of the bureau’s flexible Economic Adjustment Assistance (EAA) (PDF) program, provides a wide-range of financial assistance to eligible communities and regions as they respond to and recover from the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. For complete information, please visit our recently updated EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance page.

About the U.S. Economic Development Administration (www.eda.gov)
The mission of the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) is to lead the federal economic development agenda by promoting competitiveness and preparing the nation's regions for growth and success in the worldwide economy. An agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce, EDA makes investments in economically distressed communities in order to create jobs for U.S. workers, promote American innovation, and accelerate long-term sustainable economic growth.