By Patrick Carr
Today, the U.S. Department of Education awarded 68 new grants totaling $185,511,391 million through the Alaska Native Education (ANE) and Native Hawaiian Education (NHE) programs. ANE grants were made to Alaska Native Organizations and entities located in Alaska that are governed predominately by Alaska Natives and support innovative projects that recognize and address the unique educational needs of Alaska Native children and adults. Similarly, NHE grants were made to Native Hawaiian educational organizations; Native Hawaiian community-based organizations; and public and private nonprofit organizations, agencies, and institutions with experience in developing or operating Native Hawaiian programs or programs of instruction in the Native Hawaiian language address a significant need to assist Native Hawaiians and to supplement and expand educational programs. The American Rescue Plan made available an additional $170 million to support these programs.
“Every student deserves access to rich, engaging educational opportunities and welcoming, affirming environments for learning. Thanks to substantial funding from the American Rescue Plan, more Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian students will be able to engage in quality early learning, enrichment programs, and career preparation activities to prepare for meaningful employment. The grants we are announcing today also will help to support culturally responsive professional development for teachers of Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian students,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “These projects take a holistic approach to education by supporting increased connections among schools, students, families, and communities. I am heartened that these projects will advance wrap-around supports at this critical moment to ensure that Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian children have every opportunity to thrive.”
Grantees under these programs use their funds for such activities as the development of curricula and education programs that address the education needs of Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian students, and the development and operation of student enrichment programs in science and mathematics. Eligible activities also include professional development for educators, activities carried out through Even Start programs and Head Start programs, family literacy services, and dropout prevention programs.
“I am pleased that so many Alaska Native tribes, organizations, and Alaska Native-led schools and non-profits have received Alaska Native Educational Equity Program (ANEP) grants this year. For years, I have been a strong supporter of this program and its funding because I recognize that Alaska’s Native educators and leaders are adept at providing culturally relevant supportive services that enable Alaska Native youth and adults to succeed academically, professionally, and personally,” said U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski. “These funds will address many needs throughout Alaska, including learning loss, intergenerational trauma, language preservation, and remote learning opportunities in ways that maximize Native ways of knowing and learning. I am grateful to the many Alaska Native educators and tribal leaders who are committed to advancing the success of Alaska Native youth through the many innovative projects these grants will fund.”
“This new federal funding will ensure that Native Hawaiian educational programs have the resources they need to support students in time for the upcoming school year,” said U.S. Senator Brian Schatz. “As Chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, I will keep fighting for more resources for the Native Hawaiian community.”
More information about the ANE program can be found at: https://oese.ed.gov/offices/office-of-formula-grants/rural-insular-native-achievement-programs/alaska-native-education-equity/. Additional information about the NHE program can be found at: https://oese.ed.gov/offices/office-of-formula-grants/rural-insular-native-achievement-programs/native-hawaiian-education/. Below are lists of new awards listed by grantee, project name, and award amount.
Alaska Native Education Awards (Total for three-year awards)
| Grantee | Project Name | Award Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska Native Heritage Center | Ilakucaraq “Being Together” | $3,388,315.00 |
| Aleut Community of St. Paul Island Tribal Government | Deconstructing the Digital Wall | $1,497,140.00 |
| Arctic Slope Community Foundation, Inc. | Writing and Revising Interventions to Excel: Using Learning Maps and Interventions to Improve Written Communication | $1,753,461.00 |
| Arctic Slope Community Foundation, Inc. | Project Learn: Academic & Cultural Enrichment for Alaska Native Youth | $3,957,878.00 |
| Bristol Bay School District | Cultural Heritage Improves Learning and Development | $3,042,153.00 |
| Central Council of Tlingit & Haidia Indian Tribes of Alaska | REWARD (Remote Education With Achievement, Resiliency, and Discovery) | $2,587,915.00 |
| Cook Inlet Tribal Council | Alaska Student Fabricator Network | $3,674,535.00 |
| Cook Inlet Tribal Council | Story Knife Program | $3,640,423.00 |
| Douglas Indian Association | Sharing Our Knowledge and Educational Pathways, Haa Tundáani Haa Yatx’i Toowú yéi kgwatée, Our Way of Thinking Will Be Our Children’s Spirits | $4,420,707.00 |
| Excel Alaska | EXCEL/Doyon Rural Success Program | $4,196,794.00 |
| Excel Alaska | EXCEL Alaska Programming | $1,897,388.00 |
| Fairbanks Native Association | FNA TechConnect Project | $1,819,918.00 |
| Fairbanks Native Association | Circles of Support Project | $1,216,277.00 |
| Igiugig Village | Iliamna Communities Teaching Culture through Native Languages | $2,143,276.00 |
| Kawerak, Inc. | Project REMOTE | $3,855,152.00 |
| Knik Tribe | Youth Education Service’s Benteh STEAM Academy | $3,758,722.00 |
| Learning Point Alaska | Innovative Technology in Science Inquiry for Yup’ik Students | $1,936,614.00 |
| Learning Point Alaska | Naaqi = To Read | $1,605,532.00 |
| Nunakauyak Traditional Council | Calillgutekluta “Working Together” | $2,153,198.00 |
| Orutsaramuit Native Council | Accelerated Learning for Indigenous Students | $4,369,182.00 |
| Project Grad Kenai Peninsula | Project GRAD Kenai Peninsula | $1,892,468.00 |
| Sealaska Heritage Institute | Sharing our Stories: Voices on the Land | $5,219,807.00 |
| Sealaska Heritage Institute | Raven Writes: Culturally Responsive Writing Instruction | $6,709,966.00 |
| Sealaska Heritage Institute | Our Box of Treasures: Deepening the Connections | $6,010,446.00 |
| Sealaska Heritage Institute | Opening the Box of Traditional Ecological Knowledge: STEAM Pathways for High School Students | $6,191,449.00 |
| Sealaska Heritage Institute | The Haa Latseen Initiative – Culturally Responsive College and Career Readiness Programming in Southeast Alaska | $3,042,211.00 |
| Sealaska Heritage Institute | Sealaska Heritage Arts Campus: Innovations in Alaska Native Arts Education | $2,165,778.00 |
| Southwest Region School District | Tengesqaaq – Fledgling Taking Flight: Bristol Bay Career Awareness & Support | $1,844,894.00 |
| The Native Village of Kongiganak | Yugtun Piciryaranek Qaneryaranek-llu Cuqyun, a Yugtun Proficiency Test | $2,253,066.00 |
| Yukon Koyukuk School District | YKSD Start Strong II (SSII) for K-6 students | $2,283,074.00 |
| Yukon Koyukuk School District | Rising Up | $1,480,036.00 |
| Yukon Koyukuk School District | Tech Boost | $2,209,825.00 |
| Yukon Koyukuk School District | CTE Interior Connect | $2,516,382.00 |
Native Hawaiian Education Awards (Total for three-year awards)
| Grantee | Project Name | Award Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Awaiaulu, Inc. | Awaiaulu, Inc. Programming | $2,246,802.00 |
| Consortium For Hawai’i Ecological Engineering Education | Kū ‘A‘ali‘i | $3,491,851.00 |
| Education, Hawaii State Department Of | Project Kupu Ke Ohi: Nurturing Growth and Safety | $2,849,998.00 |
| Friends Of The Future | ALOHA: Advanced Learning Opportunities = Hawaiian Achievement | $2,826,936.00 |
| Friends Of The Future | KOA: Knowledge, Opportunity, Achievement | $2,848,850.00 |
| Hanona | Hoʻokō Naʻauao | $2,223,270.00 |
| Ho’okako Corporation | Hawaiian Arts Integration Project | $1,720,920.00 |
| Hooulu-Lahui | Hoʻomōhala ʻIke Kumu ʻĪnana | $1,353,782.00 |
| Hui Malama O Ke Kai Foundation | Hui Mālama o ke Kai (HMK: “The Group That Stewards The Ocean) | $1,089,342.00 |
| Hui Mauli Ola | Hāinu Lāʻau | $1,854,960.00 |
| Hula Preservation Society | Kaiao: Elder Knowledge for Classrooms and Community | $763,284.00 |
| Institute For Native Pacific Education And Culture | Eō | $1,044,941.00 |
| Kai Loa, Inc | Lama Kukui | $1,158,935.00 |
| Kamalani Academy | Kamalani Academy Programming | $2,027,755.00 |
| Kanu O Ka ‘Aina Learning ‘Ohana | Project Hō‘ola | $4,152,604.00 |
| Keiki O Ka ‘Aina Pre School Inc | Keiki O Ka Aina (KOKA) Family Learning Centers | $6,935,749.00 |
| Kulaniakea | Kūlaniākea Programming | $1,909,893.00 |
| Malama Loko Ea Foundation | Restoring Ea | $2,227,700.00 |
| Maui Family Support Services, Inc. | Ho’owaiwai Kaiāulu | $2,670,216.00 |
| Pacific American Foundation | NALU (“Nature Activities for Learning and Understanding”) Studies Maui Nui Project | $1,525,000.00 |
| Papa Ola Lokahi | Resilient Communities, Families and Schools | $2,470,314.00 |
| Partners In Development Foundation | Keiki Assets Account – KAʻA | $7,518,929.00 |
| University Of Hawaii Systems | Project Hoʻokuʻi V: Kūlia i ka Nuʻu (strive to reach the summit) | $2,419,688.00 |
| University Of Hawaii Systems | Project Hōkūlani Hui | $2,760,610.00 |
| University Of Hawaii Systems | Hawaiʻi Positive Engagement Project (H-PEP) | $2,734,774.00 |
| University Of Hawaii Systems | Kākau mea nui 2.0 (Writing Matters) | $2,646,937.00 |
| University Of Hawaii Systems | Poʻi Nā NaluNative Hawaiian CTE & STEM Pathways Project | $1,333,828.00 |
| University Of Hawaii Systems | Kūkulu ʻohana (“building the family”) | $1,773,007.00 |
| University Of Hawaii Systems | ‘Aha Lamaku ‘Oia ‘i ‘o Ho ‘oikaika A ‘e (ALO-HA) | $1,282,451.00 |
| University Of Hawaii Systems | Nā Hokua Project (NHP) | $2,757,033.00 |
| University Of Hawaii Systems | Hawaiʻi i ke Alo: Forward Facing Hawaiʻi | $2,799,222.00 |
| University Of Hawaii Systems | MAUŌ | $1,825,236.00 |
| University Of Hawaii Systems | Kuhikuhina Kaulike | $1,421,428.00 |
| University Of Hawaii Systems | He Paepae Aloha: A Foundation of Caring | $2,829,926.00 |
| University Of Hawaii Systems | Hilinehu: Educational Leadership Advancement (HELA) | $1,281,238.00 |