Awarded Grants

The purpose of our program is to create and increase access to mental and physical wellness programs to the Native and Indigenous community members here in Denver. We will utilize SOTS’ existing programs and leverage them together to create powerful, meaningful change for our members.

Bezos Professional Development

The primary objective is to provide quality livestock water to our ranchers which will produce high quality beef and to maintain healthy livestock animals and to utilize conservation practices that will sustain our grazing lands for generations to come.

This project retain and expand a program to train 30 adult speakers of n̓səl̓xčin̓ (Colville Salish) who have strong relationships with the children and families served by SSOS. These new speakers will be teachers mentors, advocates and role-models for inter-generational use and transmission of our critically endangered language, n̓səl̓xčin̓.

Coastal reserve project and participation in the Tribal Marine Stewardship Network.

This project utilizes four interrelated objectives to create new mother-tongue speakers of Yuchi by reconnecting to the land using nature-based education.

The calving grounds of the porcupine caribou herd located in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is being threatened by oil and gas leases that were approved after the recent Record of Decision released in August 2020. The porcupine caribou herd has used these calving grounds since the beginning of time because it is free of predators and mosquitos and it is a safe place. However, the herd can easily be disrupted and change their route if they open the area to oil and gas leases in the area. The caribou have been a primary food source for the Arctic Village of Venetie and has always had great cultural significance for the community. Protecting the porcupine caribou herd is paramount to the survival of the community’s way of life and the environmental impact of oil and gas drilling in this pristine and fragile environment is the irreplaceable destruction of the caribou calving grounds, which would negatively impact thousands of people. The elders directed the community to fight to protect the caribou calving grounds back in 1988 and the fight has continued since then. Federal authorities met with the tribe prior to the issuance of the Record of Decision, but they did not consider any of the concerns that were voiced. In response to this, the Native Village of Venetie is using their right as a sovereign nation to file a lawsuit claiming the Environmental Assessment was not performed correctly and that none of the concerns and input of local tribal communities were considered.