Submitted by Cherokee Preservation Foundation
The Cherokee Preservation Foundation awarded 12 grants to partners in western North Carolina, totaling more than $3.3 million. The grants 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 2025 spring grants were awarded to the following organizations and programs:
- Watershed Association of the Tuckasegee River to provide awareness of traditional Cherokee fishing practices among Cherokee youth – $14,000
- Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual, Inc. to update and modernize the gallery space of Qualla Arts and Crafts to increase visitation – $58,086
- Cherokee Boys Club to demonstrate innovative sustainable alternative energy technologies available for transportation and electricity that reduce carbon emissions – $975,000
- The Sequoyah Fund to support small business development in the town of Cherokee via lending, grant writing support, and other programs – $533,181
- Uwena to provide financial advice and planning for EBCI-members on the Qualla Boundary – $30,000
- Ray Kinsland Leadership Institute to produce selfless leaders with modern skills who are grounded with Cherokee core values – $336,872
- Cherokee Historical Association to increase heritage-based tourism in the town of Cherokee through CHA’s offerings – $698,000
- EBCI Qualla Public Library to develop a strategic plan for modernizing the Qualla Boundary Public Library into a contemporary knowledge center and community hub -$15,000
- Cherokee High School to preserve Cherokee art history, and art techniques through the sharing of knowledge on various Cherokee art forms – $19,965
- Museum of the Cherokee People to support the Museum of the Cherokee People’s efforts to revamp and update their offerings – $500,000
- RiverLink, Inc. to encourage the practice of Cherokee traditional lifeways by expanding river cane availability in the region for Cherokee artisan use in arts and crafts – $20,000
- Snowbird Cherokee Traditions to prevent the loss of the Cherokee language by supporting second language learning programming efforts – $115,250
