Page 11 - NAAF 2019 Annual Report

LEADERS IN NATIVE AGRICULTURE: 2019 GRANTEES 7 Arapaho Ranch Field Station – wind River Reservation, WY • ($150,000)

The Arapaho Ranch Field Station promotes ranching sustainability on the Wind River
Reservation through place-based education and environmental mitigation projects.
With NAAF funding, the Field Station will make capital improvements to structures
1 Akiptan – Eagle Butte, SD • ($500,000) on the land to support their value-added agritourism plans and bring more youth into
the ranching tradition.
A national Native-led CDFI, Akiptan seeks to “innovate and change the paradigm of
investments in Indian Country agriculture and food systems” by working with Native
farmers and ranchers. With NAAF funding, Akiptan will provide loans, capital, and 8 Blackfeet Tribe Agriculture Resource Management Plan – Browning, MT
comprehensive technical assistance and financial training for 10 producers.
• ($200,000)
The Blackfeet Tribe’s Agriculture Resource Management Plan (ARMP) team
2 Alaska Village Initiatives – Anchorage, AK • ($64,888) guides the implementation of long-term planning efforts for agricultural and natural
resources within the Blackfeet Nation. With NAAF funding, Blackfeet ARMP will
Host of the agricultural outreach platform agalaska.net, Alaska Village Initiatives
finalize planning efforts for a local multi-species processing plant, customize food and
(AVI) has been providing services to Alaska Native producers and small businesses for
agriculture codes, and engage youth in agriculture.
more than 50 years. With NAAF funding, AVI will explore the potential for industrial
hemp production in geographically isolated locations in rural Alaska.
9 Board of Regents, University of Nevada, Reno – Hawthorne, NV •
3 American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association – Albuquerque, NM • ($483,470)
($72,545) The University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) provides practical agricultural education
for citizens through cooperative extension programs. With NAAF funding, UNR
American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association (AIANTA) is the only national
will coordinate advanced agricultural business training for Native producers, sponsor
organization representing, supporting and expanding tribal tourism in the U.S. With
scholarships and mentoring for students pursuing degrees in agriculture, and support
NAAF funding, AIANTA will develop resources for individual Native producers and
youth participation in agricultural camps.
tribes interested in agritourism and provide training at the annual American Indian
Tourism Conference.
10 California Indian Museum and Cultural Center – Santa Rosa, CA •
4 American Indian College Fund – Denver, CO • ($273,370) ($100,000)
American Indian College Fund (AICF) invests in Native students and tribal college California Indian Museum and Cultural Center (CIMCC) and its Tribal Youth
education to transform lives and communities. With NAAF funding, AICF will build Ambassadors revitalize traditional food systems in Northern California through the
on their existing scholarship and mentoring support for Native students in farming and social enterprise, Acorn Bites. With NAAF funding, CIMCC will train gatherers to
ranching by providing stipends for place-based, agriculture-focused career experiences. steward, collect and process acorns, in addition to sponsoring youth to attend food
conferences to strengthen their business development knowledge.

5 American Indian Graduate Center – Albuquerque, NM • ($150,000)
11 Cankdeska Cikana Community College – Fort Totten, ND • ($74,838)
The American Indian Graduate Center (AIGC) provides financial support for
American Indians and Alaska Natives seeking higher education. With NAAF funding, Cankdeska Cikana Community College (CCCC), located in the Spirit Lake Nation,
AIGC will provide scholarships through the Wilson Hooper Veterinary Medicine supports Tribal agricultural production through tilling agricultural land, distributing
Assistance Program and host two “Know Before U Go” workshops for Native high seeds, operating a farmer’s market and community garden and has started a 4-H
school students interested in agricultural degrees. program for youth. With NAAF funding, CCCC will irrigate their community garden,
cultivate an additional field for traditional corn and increase engagement with Head
Start students.
6 American Indian Higher Education Consortium – Alexandria, VA •
($125,000) Center for Rural Affairs – Lyons, Ne • ($24,532)
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The American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) is the collective spirit
Center for Rural Affairs (CFRA) supports beginning farmers and small business
and unifying voice of the nation’s Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs). Thirty-
owners from diverse rural populations, providing specialized outreach for the Omaha
five of the 37 TCUs are land-grant institutions. With NAAF funding, AIHEC is
and Santee Reservations. With NAAF funding, CFRA will encourage Native youth
sponsoring TCUs in delivering technical assistance to Native agricultural producers
to consider agricultural careers through school gardening, exchange programs and
through trained AmeriCorps VISTA volunteers.
classroom training.

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