Ojibwa Anthony Roy keeping Native lanuage alive in Chicago

Published June 3, 2020

WASHINGTON — The Office of Indian Energy and Economic Development (IEED) is seeking tribal applicants for a $3 million grant program that aims to preserve and revitalize Native languages. 

The Living Languages Grant Program (LLGP) program will fund between 15 and 60 grants in amounts from $25,000-$200,000 to federally recognized American Indian tribes and Alaska Native entities to document, preserve and revitalize Native languages and build active speaker capacity.

“Native languages are a vibrant aspect to the cultural heritage of the United States,” Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Tara MacLean Sweeney said. “The Living Languages Grant Program will offer competitive funding to programs that promote, preserve and protect Native languages. Indian Affairs is proud to support American Indian and Alaska Native cultures through this new grant program.”

This solicitation for LLGP funding and details on how to apply can be found in the Federal Register and at Grants.Gov.

The Living Language Grant Program is a competitive, discretionary program. To qualify for funding, applicants must submit a proposal and a supporting tribal resolution to IEED no later than August 24, 2020.

Applications will be evaluated on the following:

• Their completeness, organization and reasonableness of identified costs;
• How the activity sought for funding would document, preserve or revitalize a Native language;
• The extent to which the Native language addressed by the proposal is jeopardized or nearing extinction and the degree to which the proposal would revitalize the language by arresting or minimizing intergenerational disruption; and
• The number of students or percentage of tribal members who would be directly and indirectly benefited by the proposal.

While only tribes can apply for LLGP grants, grantees may retain tribal organizations or for-profit and non-profit community groups to perform a grant’s scope of work. Bureau of Indian Education-administered schools and BIE-funded schools or programs targeting students enrolled in those schools are not eligible for LLGP funding.

All LLGP applicants must use the standard Application for Federal Assistance SF-424 and the Project Narrative Attachment Form.  These forms can be found at www.grants.gov.

IEED is administering this program through its Division of Economic Development (DED).  

Visit the Indian Affairs website for more information about IEED’s programs and services.