The northern region of Minnesota is home to a number of distinct indigenous communities, including the Ojibwe, Dakota, northern Cheyenne, and other indigenous peoples.
Grants are being made available by the Northland Foundation to individuals who have expressed an interest in enhancing native culture. By means of their grant program, the charitable organization is offering grants of up to $5,000.
Cayla Bellanger Degroat is the one in charge of the program. In her statement, she mentioned that the Northland Foundation is offering financial assistance to individuals who are members of Native American communities, descendants of Native Americans, or tribal citizens. In Ojibwe, the award is referred to as Maada’ookiing, which literally translates to “the distribution.”
“There are some bigger projects that we’re seeing on the horizon, and also increased costs for everybody across the board. We give these grants to individuals versus organizations, that’s what we mean by grassroots grants,” Bellanger Degroat stated. “You don’t need to be a 501(c)(3). You can just be somebody who has a good idea and wants to do something good for the community.”
Individuals still have the opportunity to submit their applications for the Maada’ooking grant. Within the tribal communities of Northeastern Minnesota, individuals are required to be a part of the community.
Leech Lake District 1, Mille Lacs Band District 2, Boise Forte, Grand Portage, and Fond du Lac. These are the communities that are included in this list.
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“We’ve awarded 88 total grants in the life of the program, and we’ve given out approximately $240,000 in grants,” Bellanger Degroat stated. “We’ve also seen a big uptick in our applications and awards from Leech Lake, which is fantastic. We always like to see a nice even spread to make sure that we’re getting those dollars out there as much as we can.”
The winners of the Maada’ooking grant have created a variety of projects, including the design of traditional moccasins, the creation of leather artwork, and the acquisition of knowledge regarding the teachings of the spiritual drum.
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“I get goosebumps just thinking about it because it’s incredible what these people are doing every single day,” Bellanger Degroat stated. “The best thing that I think you could do is just tell your friends and neighbors who might have a really good idea because we would love to help them out.”
As of the 15th of February in 2025, the next deadline for submitting an application for the award is for spring funding. In addition, the other deadlines are the 15th of September and the 15th of May.
