WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp announced seven federal grants totaling over $4.9 million in support of a variety of resources in Indian Country that promote and support economic growth, educational resources, and health care services.

“Supporting the future success for those in Indian Country begins with a healthy lifestyle, a quality education, and opportunity," said Heitkamp. “The federal government must work with local and tribal governments to make sure that these basic needs are met, especially for Native children whose voices I have been actively working to make sure are heard. This federal support will help Native American communities develop an economic blueprint to grow their businesses and job opportunities, as well as build health and education resources so that future generations of Native young people can thrive."

The following federal funds are distributed as follows:

• Turtle Mountain Community College: $2,285,882 in federal funding will provide education and encourage individuals to enter high-demand health care careers for areas in need. This federal support comes through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Professional Grants for Tribes to support the program at Turtle Mountain Community College called the Health Education Access through Rural Training (HEART) Project.

• Cankdeska Cikana Community College: $1,272,956 in federal funding will support the education of individuals and encourage them to enter in-demand health careers for areas in need. This federal grant is similar to the resources provided to Turtle Mountain and made available through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Professional Grants for Tribes.

• University of North Dakota: $488,863 in federal funding will support the North Dakota Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) Implementation Partnership program. The program will support ICWA implementation with training services, relationship building, needs assessment, and collaboration among tribal governments that will promote the well-being of Native American children. This federal funding is made available through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

• Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians: $282,000 in federal funding will work to support the health of disadvantaged children through home visitation programs that work with mothers, fathers, and caregivers of children under the age of five. This federal funding is made available through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program.

• Turtle Mountain Community College: $245,930 in federal funding will support educational programs that have demonstrated the ability to improve a child’s educational attainment from preschool through secondary education. This federal funding is made available through the U.S. Department of Education’s Demonstration Grants for Indian Children.

• Spirit Lake Tribe, Fort Totten: $214,711 in federal funding to support the planning of an economic development strategy to promote job growth, entrepreneurship, infrastructure improvements, and diversification of the local economy. These federal funds are made available through the U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration in coordination with the Promise Zone designation that Spirit Lake received to better utilize federal grant resources that Heitkamp announced in June.

• Native American Development Center, Bismarck: $150,000 in federal funding to help increase access to capital, credit, and financial services that further local community development. These funds are made available through the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Native American Community Development Financial Institutions Fund.