Funds Available for Initiatives Fostering Stronger Bonds with Michigan’s Federally Recognized Indian Tribes

BATTLE CREEK, MICH. — The Native American Heritage Fund (NAHF) continues to advocate for Native visibility and the building of lasting connections between Michigan’s Native and non-Native communities with the 2025 grant cycle.

The NAHF is proud to announce that applications for funding are now available for public and private K-12 schools, colleges, universities, and local units of government located or based in the State of Michigan to defray 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.

“We’re proud to kick off the 2025 grant cycle for the Native American Heritage Fund,” said NAHF Board Chairperson Dorie Rios, who also serves as Tribal Council Chairperson for the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi (NHBP). “Michigan is called home to 12 federally recognized tribes, each with a unique culture, history, and government. It’s our responsibility to honor that diversity by supporting education and fostering greater inclusion across the state. The success of past grant recipients has been inspiring, and we’re excited to build on that momentum in the year ahead.”

The NAHF, which was approved in 2016 as part of the Second Amendment to the Tribal-State Gaming Compact between NHBP and the state of Michigan, allocates a portion of NHBP’s annual state revenue sharing payment to the fund. Since its inception, the NAHF has funded the removal of offensive imagery and language from 15 schools and three municipalities and has cultivated several opportunities for education, reconciliation, and unification.

Projects eligible for funding may include events, art projects and language classes that encourage inclusivity between Native Americans and Michiganders, as well as changing or revising curricula, improving program development, replacing or revising government seals or images in public spaces, and replacing or revising mascots or imagery that might be considered offensive to Native Americans.

Applications are now available on the NAHF website at https://nahfund.com/application/ and must be submitted to the NAHF Board by Friday, June 6, at 5 p.m. Applicants will submit their online applications through the NAHF grant management system, WizeHive, which is linked within the application page.

For questions regarding the 2025 NAHF application process, please contact Kelli Scott at 269.781.0966 or kdscott@calhouncountymi.gov.

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For media inquiries or to request an interview with NAHF Board Chairperson Dorie Rios, please contact NHBP Director of Communications Jaky Replogle at 269.704.8317.

For questions regarding the NAHF grant process, please contact Calhoun County Administrator/Controller Kelli Scott at 269.781.0966.

About The Native American Heritage Fund

The NAHF was established in 2016 as part of the Second Amendment to the Tribal-State Gaming Compact between the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi (NHBP) and the State of Michigan. The amendment allowed for a portion of NHBP’s annual state revenue sharing payment to be deposited into the NAHF.

The fund serves to promote positive relationships between public and private K-12 schools, colleges, universities, local units of government and Michigan’s federally recognized Native American Tribes. The NAHF provides resources to help improve curricula and educational resources related to Michigan Indian history, as well as to replace or revise mascots and imagery that may be deemed as offensive to or inaccurately conveying the culture and values of Native Americans.

For more information, visit: nahfund.com