Innovative Native Vita Grant Program
2013 Innovative Native Vita Grant Program
Community Partners
Central Council of Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes
Central Council of Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes
Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians of the Lac du Flambeau Reservation of Wisconsin
Pueblo of Laguna, New Mexico
Pueblo of Nambe, New Mexico
The ultimate purpose is to UTILIZE the fallow agricultural land within the pueblo and INCREASE the number of tribal members who participate in the agricultural sector and CREATE a Nambe Pueblo Community Farm brand. This phase of our project is focused on gaining access to more land on which we can grow food for the tribe and the bison herd. At the same time, we will also explore the possibilities of branding and promoting value-added products to the outside market to ensure this project can be a sustainable business enterprise for the tribe.
Inter-Tribal
The ultimate purpose of this project is to 1)create a detailed description and nutritional analysis of the pre-Reservation Western Apache diet; 2) retain invaluable traditional knowledge, and use this knowledge to inform specific strategies to maintain both physical health and ecologically sustainable lifestyles; 3)make this knowledge available for community members to utilize and leverage in order to build health-related programs and businesses in Apache communities; and 4)increase the knowledge of community members, especially youth, of traditional Apache lifestyles and the traditional relationship with the natural world in general, and with food in particular.
Big Pine Paiute Tribe of the Owens Valley
The ultimate purpose of this project is to increase the availability of locally grown food and knowledge of sustainable gardening practices. This project will create a permaculture designed demonstration garden by retaining water and land resources for beneficial uses and utilizing traditional knowledge for educating the tribal community about use and harvesting of native plants. This project will also create an organic seed bank, provide entrepreneurship opportunities through a farmers market and provide tools and equipment for the community garden and greenhouse.
Crow Creek Sioux Tribe of the Crow Creek Reservation, South Dakota
The ultimate purpose is to 1) create a self-sufficient food economy on Crow Creek through supporting local food production and connecting these entrepreneurs to consumers 2) significantly increase the number of tribal youth familiar with food production and entrepreneur activity to improve the food security of future generations. Further, this project will help us increase the self sufficiency of our foods program through helping us develop value-added products and leverage our resources to help us create a Fresh Food Financing product.
Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin
The Oneida Youth Food System Entrepreneur Program will address three key issues: 1) creating a system where youth educate other youth on healthy local food; 2) creating a sustainable youth business utilizing website development; 3) increasing the youths experience with technology and economics by providing them with incentives to participate in the program. Throughout this process, with adult supervision and a specialized curriculum, this project will teach business management and financial record keeping associated with the purchasing and processing, and profits from selling ag products.
Muckleshoot Indian Tribe
Funds requested will support the Muckleshoot Food Sovereignty Project, which began in 2010 as a two-year USDA-funded project that is building a culturally appropriate system of health by revitalizing and increasing access to the traditional foods of the Muckleshoot people. The project's purposes are: 1) to increase the tribe's food security by developing gardens, providing food-related community and classroom educational opportunities, and creating a five-year food sovereignty plan; and 2) to utilize community kitchen policies to create healthier, traditionally-based meals for community residents, while increasing the kitchens' leverage with food suppliers through collaborative ordering.
Ponca Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma
we want to have our own tribal flock of poultry. we are trying to take one more step in our goal of food soverenty. the egg has been reffered to as the incredible edible egg. one single egg will provide 10% of the daily required protien. we all eat eggs but we have no idea where they come from or how old they are when we get them. we want to know that we are the producers. we control our own tribal flock, we know how old our eggs are because we raise them.