Indigenous communities continue to respond to challenges surrounding COVID-19, in terms of budgets, demands on staff, and resources overall. With the generous support of the May & Stanley Smith Charitable Trust, First Nations’ Western COVID-19 Response Grant is ensuring that Native nonprofits and tribal programs have resources for longer-term recovery related to pandemic response.
In line with the priorities of the May & Stanley Smith Charitable Trust, funding is targeted to Native American applicants who are or who serve adults and transitioning youth with disabilities, elders, foster youth, and veterans and military families, and who are located in the Western United States, specifically, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.
In 2021, First Nations awarded nine grants ranging from $23,000 to $28,000. Grants were awarded as general support and can be used to meet the needs of the target populations in multiple ways, including to provide:
- Access to PPE
- Assistance with housing, food security or other critical human services
- Existing or expanded mental health programs
- Capacity building and leadership development
- Advocacy training to enhance Native access to philanthropic funding
- Strengthening of cultural connectedness among youth and elders who experience isolation due to COVID-19
- Financial bridge support
- Communications and technology
- Grant announcement press release
- Scroll down to learn about 2021 grantees