Cherokee, N.C. – This spring, the Cherokee Preservation Foundation awarded 11 spring grants to partners within western North Carolina and beyond. Grants totaled more than $1.9 million and were awarded to projects advancing the Foundation’s mission of improving the quality of life for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) and neighboring communities.
The 2023 spring grants were awarded to:
North Carolina Arboretum – To connect Cherokee youth with nature and science through programming at the Qualla Library and the North Carolina Arboretum $17,476.
Riverlink, Inc. – To protect river cane on the French Board River for EBCI artisan use – $20,500.
Cherokee Central Schools – To create a feasibility study that will determine if Cherokee Central Schools (CCS) will seek to expand Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math (STEAM) curriculum – $70,000.
Folkmoot, Inc. – To develop a plan of action for Folkmoot and EBCI partners to host two Native American Festivals on the Qualla Boundary – $10,000.
Jones Bowman Leadership Award Program – To continue supporting Cherokee culturally based leadership development program with the goal of producing selfless-leaders who are grounded with Cherokee core values – $159,500.
Ray Kinsland Leadership Institute – To house Cherokee culturally based leadership development programs with the goal of producing selfless leaders for the Cherokee community who are grounded with Cherokee Core Values – $315,295.
The Sequoyah Fund – To support Sequoyah Fund’s efforts to provide training and loans to entrepreneurs to encourage a vibrant business economy within the seven westernmost counties – $632,330.
EBCI Kituwah Preservation and Education Program – To support Cherokee language preservation through continued learning, adult immersion, archiving, creation of new words, books, curriculum development, teacher training, and community outreach – $362,500.
The Museum of the Cherokee Indian – To support the implementation of the Museum of the Cherokee Indian’s strategic plan and generate revenue to ensure organizational sustainability – $291,000.
Snowbird Cherokee Traditions – To support Cherokee second-language learners in the EBCI Snowbird community located in Graham County – $78,000.
Western Carolina University – To create a plan for the conceptual layout of interpretive exhibits and interactive displays on the WCU campus to generate visitation for the Qualla Boundary – $40,000.
- Cherokee Preservation Foundation release
