The Native American Heritage Fund (NAHF) invites members of the local media to the NAHF 2019 Check Distribution, held Monday, Sept. 30, at FireKeepers Casino Hotel in Battle Creek, Michigan.
The NAHF continues to be a unique, one-of-a-kind initiative that assists Michigan’s K-12 schools, colleges, universities, and local units of government with the costs of projects that promote positive relationships and accurate information about the history and role of Michigan’s Indian tribes and Native Americans in the state.
The 2019 NAHF grants include:
- Bay de Noc Community College – $6,000 to publicly acknowledge the Treaty of 1836 through a public plaque on each campus and a Treaty Day celebration
- Godfrey-Lee Public Schools – $98,000 to rebrand the current mascot from “Rebels” to a new mascot and nickname that is culturally responsive
- Grand Rapids Community College – $5,285 to support the Grand Rapids Community College Education and Reconciliation Project including a trip to the Ziibawing Center of Anishinaabe Culture and Lifeways and a Native American Speaker’s Forum
- Indigenous Law and Policy Center at Michigan State University College of Law – $20,000 to provide a two-day symposium, Native Family Day, and ancillary programming throughout the year
- Monroe County Community College – $199,234 to create curriculum and a set of immersion experiences for K-12 students, focused on how to research stories from the Native perspective
- Northern Michigan University – $134,612.80 to expand Anishinabék language course offerings at undergraduate and graduate levels
- The Friendship Community/LIFT Teen Center – $16,650 to support an overnight backpacking trip to South Minitou Island, exposing students to the history of the Ottawa tribe
The NAHF invites businesses, community organizations and community members to attend the second annual check distribution to witness this historic and exciting experience.
