Program Information
ANA provides competitive financial assistance to eligible Tribes and Native American non-profit organizations in support of locally determined and designed projects that address community needs and goals. ANA does not fund duplicative projects within the same community. ANA does not fund projects that lead to litigation against the United States Government.
ANA publishes program announcements designating funds available, program areas of focus, review criteria and the method of application on Grants.gov. ANA provides 12, 24, and 36 month grants. ANA project funding is considered short-term seed funding. All ANA community projects need to be complete by the end of the project period, or supported by alternative funds.
2008 Award Distribution by Program Area
Program Areas:
- Social and Economic Development Strategies (SEDS) for Native Americans: ANA provides project funding to eligible applicants for the purpose of assisting Native communities to achieve the goal of economic and social self-sufficiency.
- Economic Development Projects: Involves the promotion of the physical, commercial, technological, industrial, and/or agricultural components necessary for a sustainable local community. Applicants are encouraged to develop sustainable projects to support stable and diversified private sector local economies.
- Social Development Projects: Involves investment in human and social capital for advancing peoples' well-being. Applicants are encouraged to develop and implement culturally appropriate projects to enhance Tribal, community, and village activities. Social development projects under this area support elders, positive youth development, and individuals with disabilities.
- Governance Projects: Involves assistance to federally-recognized Tribal and Alaska Native village governments to increase their ability to exercise local control and decision-making over governance activities.
- Native Language Preservation and Maintenance: ANA provides project funding to eligible applicants for the purpose of assisting Native Americans to assure the survival and continuing vitality of their languages. Grants are provided under the following four program areas:
- Assessment: Provide project funding to conduct an assessment to identify the current status of the Native language(s) within an established community.
- Planning: Provide project funding to enable Tribes and Native organizations to plan and design Native language projects.
- Implementation: Provide project funding to Tribes and Native organizations for the implementation of a Native language project to achieve the community's long-range language preservation goal(s).
- Immersion: Provide project funding for Native American Language Immersion. The only program areas of interest funded under this priority area are immersion projects for language nests or for language survival schools.
- Environmental Regulatory Enhancement: ANA provides project funding to eligible applicants to strengthen Tribal Governments by building capacity to identify, plan and develop environmental programs consistent with Native culture. ANA funds projects that address the responsibility of Tribes and Alaska Native villages to formulate environmental ordinances, implement laws, and train community members in the use and control of their natural resources.
Special Initiative Program Areas:
- Family Preservation Initiative: ANA provides project funding to eligible applicants to support projects that include the planning and implementing of culturally competent strategies for strengthening families, fostering child well-being, healthy relationships and marriages and responsible fatherhood to preserve healthy families within Native American communities.
- Planning: Provide funding for projects that include activities that design and engage in a community planning process to:
- identify barriers to forming healthy families, relationships and marriages (including Traditional Native American marriages);
- assess the needs and interest of the community to participate in a family preservation project;
- assess existing absentee parenting programs, fatherhood programs, grandparents raising grandchildren programs, and foster parent programs;
- identify strategies to implement a family preservation project;
- develop curricula for family preservation programs; or
- reduce or eliminate the challenges and barriers identified by the community.
- Implementation: Provide funding for projects that supply community resources for activities such as:
- family strengthening services (fatherhood, parenting, absentee parental involvement, foster parenting and grandparents raising grandchildren);
- healthy relationships;
- healthy marriages (including Traditional Native American marriages);
- marriage education/enrichment training;
- pre-marital education;
- relationship skills education on communication, conflict resolution and commitment; and
- other support activities such as family outings, family strengthening groups, and weekend pre-marital/marital education and family retreats.
 
