Administration for Native Americans (ANA)

 

ANA promotes the goal of economic and social self-sufficiency for American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians and the peoples of Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

Promoting Self-Sufficiency for Native Americans

ANA is the only Federal agency providing grants, training and technical assistance to all Native Americans including:

• 562 federally recognized Tribes
• Incorporated non-federally recognized Tribes
• American Indian and Alaska Native Organizations
• Native Hawaiian Non-profit Organizations
• Native populations throughout the Pacific basin
  
  
  

• Foster the development of stable, diversified local economies and economic activities which will provide jobs, promote community and economic well-being, encourage community partnerships and reduce dependency on public funds and social services
• Support local access to, control of, and coordination of services and programs that safeguard the health and well-being of Native children and families
• Increase the number of projects involving youth and intergenerational activities in Native American communities

Grant Programs
ANA provides competitive financial assistance grants in support of locally determined and designed projects that address community needs and goals. Grants are provided through three programs to promote economic and social self-sufficiency, to ensure the survival and vitality of Native languages and to improve Tribal capability to regulate environmental quality.
Examples of projects that help to promote the economic and social development of Native Americans are:

• Creation of new jobs and development or expansion of business enterprises and social service initiatives
• Community strategic planning
• Enactment of new codes and management improvements to strengthen the governmental functions of Tribes and Native American organizations
• Youth development
• Strengthening family relationship skills
• Training language teachers
• Formulation of environmental policies, ordinances and training for the use and control of natural resources
• Establishment of local court systems

Social and Economic Development Strategies (SEDS)
ANA provides project funding that supports and invests in community-based projects that meet the goal of improving the lives of children and families in our communities.

• Economic Development Projects: Involve 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: Involve 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 families, elders, parents, positive youth development, healthy marriage, individuals with disabilities and personal commitment.
• Governance Projects: Involve assistance to federally-recognized Tribal and Alaska Native Village Governments to increase their ability to exercise local control and decision-making over governance activities.

In 2008, $15.2 million was awarded for projects for Social and Economic Development Strategies. The total current commitment of these projects is $27.4 million.

Language Preservation
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 categories:

• 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. 

In 2008, $5.4 million was awarded for projects for Native Language Preservation and Maintenance. The total current commitment of these projects is $7.9 million.

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 Villages to formulate environmental ordinances, implement laws, and train community members in the use and control of their natural resources.

In 2008, $1.3 million was awarded for Environmental Regulatory Enhancement. The total current commitment of these projects is $2 million.

Intra-Departmental Council on Native American Affairs
The ANA Commissioner is the Chair and the Director, Indian Health Service is the Vice Chair of the Intra-Departmental Council on Native American Affairs (ICNAA), within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The ICNAA advises the Secretary on Native American issues. The Council is composed of the heads of all the principal operating divisions within HHS and is the Departmental focal point for all initiatives affecting Native people.

Under its Charter, the ICNAA coordinates and encourages the cooperation of the Department's and other federal agencies’ resources for Native people. It also develops and implements a meaningful policy on Native American affairs for the entire Department. It ensures that this policy will be applied consistently throughout the Department and, where possible, throughout the Federal Government.

Administration for Native Americans
370 L'Enfant Promenade
Aerospace Center
Washington, DC 20447-0002
Phone: Toll Free 1.877.922.9262
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Updated February 2009
Office of Public Affairs (OPA)