- Details
- By Native News Online Staff
WASHINGTON — Forty-five years ago today, the Native American Programs Act of 1974 (NAPA) was signed into law on January 4, 1975.
This NAPA launched the Administration for Native Americans (ANA) and contains the guiding principles which helps promote the goals of economic and social self-sufficiency for federal and state recognized tribes, American Indian and Alaska Native organizations, Native Hawaiian organizations and Native populations throughout the Pacific Basin (including American Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands).
Emerging from the importance of Native American self-sufficiency, NAPA places community members at the heart of lasting, positive change. ANA funds three program areas: Social and Economic Development Strategies, Native Languages, and Environmental Regulatory Enhancement (all ANA funding opportunity announcements are published on www.Grants.gov).
Some of these program areas include:
- ANA promotes self-sufficiency in communities through Social and Economic Development Strategies (SEDS) grants, which support community-based projects that increase the ability for Native Americans to define and achieve their own economic and social goals.
- The Esther Martinez Immersion program supports the development of culturally and linguistically vibrant Native American communities. These projects revitalize Native languages to ensure survival and continuing vitality for future generations.
- The Native Language Preservation and Maintenance program supports the planning, designing, restoration, and implementing of Native language curriculum and education projects.
- The Environmental Regulatory Enhancement program provides tribes with resources to develop legal, technical and organizational capacities for protecting their natural environments.
More Stories Like This
Native News Weekly (August 25, 2024): D.C. BriefsUS Presidents in Their Own Words Concerning American Indians
Native News Weekly (August 4, 2024): D.C. Briefs
Otoe-Missouria Project Releases Historical Marker Audit, Community Surveys
Zuni Youth Enrichment Project Kicks Off Year Two of Trail Crew Program
Help us tell the stories that could save Native languages and food traditions
At a critical moment for Indian Country, Native News Online is embarking on our most ambitious reporting project yet: "Cultivating Culture," a three-year investigation into two forces shaping Native community survival—food sovereignty and language revitalization.
The devastating impact of COVID-19 accelerated the loss of Native elders and with them, irreplaceable cultural knowledge. Yet across tribal communities, innovative leaders are fighting back, reclaiming traditional food systems and breathing new life into Native languages. These aren't just cultural preservation efforts—they're powerful pathways to community health, healing, and resilience.
Our dedicated reporting team will spend three years documenting these stories through on-the-ground reporting in 18 tribal communities, producing over 200 in-depth stories, 18 podcast episodes, and multimedia content that amplifies Indigenous voices. We'll show policymakers, funders, and allies how cultural restoration directly impacts physical and mental wellness while celebrating successful models of sovereignty and self-determination.
This isn't corporate media parachuting into Indian Country for a quick story. This is sustained, relationship-based journalism by Native reporters who understand these communities. It's "Warrior Journalism"—fearless reporting that serves the 5.5 million readers who depend on us for news that mainstream media often ignores.
We need your help right now. While we've secured partial funding, we're still $450,000 short of our three-year budget. Our immediate goal is $25,000 this month to keep this critical work moving forward—funding reporter salaries, travel to remote communities, photography, and the deep reporting these stories deserve.
Every dollar directly supports Indigenous journalists telling Indigenous stories. Whether it's $5 or $50, your contribution ensures these vital narratives of resilience, innovation, and hope don't disappear into silence.
The stakes couldn't be higher. Native languages are being lost at an alarming rate. Food insecurity plagues many tribal communities. But solutions are emerging, and these stories need to be told.
Support independent Native journalism. Fund the stories that matter.
Levi Rickert (Potawatomi), Editor & Publisher
