Revoked Grant Awards Add to the Long List of Unkept Federal Promises to Native Nations
Unfortunately, the chaos created by the Trump administration continues to distract from our team’s ability to focus solely on doing the work we are passionate about, and that our community needs and deserves.
Rather than planning community events or preparing for spring programs, members of our staff are spending countless hours developing various contingency plans, which include significant cutbacks to many of our programs.
As we wrote in our last newsletter and blog post, thanks to unrestricted funding we had earned from non-federal funders, we anticipate being able to avoid layoffs in the short term — but the longer term funding picture remains uncertain without substantial additional support to fill the anticipated federal gaps.
This past week confirmed many of our fears when we unexpectedly received a termination letter for one of our signed federal awards.
We were shocked and confused by the USDA Forest Service's decision to rescind funding that had already been committed to us, and dozens of other tribal communities.
The award would have allowed us to expand our community food production efforts by planting an orchard and also enhance our home garden program by providing fruit bushes and fruit trees to families facing food insecurity.
Our hearts go out to everyone who put so much time into securing this award in hopes of bettering their communities, and especially to those whose lives would have improved through the work that would have been completed under this grant.
Not only is it alarming that a committed grant can be revoked without cause, but the rationale is also absurd and troubling.
The termination letter says that the award “no longer effectuates agency priorities regarding, diversity, equity, and inclusion.”
The grant would have allowed us to plant berry bushes and fruit trees to strengthen food security for families. That is basic human decency — not a DEI initiative. (Unless diversity refers to biodiversity 🙂)
Though we were not given any specifics, our best reasoning for the termination is because this grant opportunity targeted Native Nations. But that raises an additional concern.
“Native American” is not a race. It is a political affiliation that is supported by treaties and has been upheld numerous times through the US Supreme Court. The federal government’s commitment to direct support to Native Nations has nothing to do with DEI, and everything to do with the US Constitution which refers to treaties as the “supreme Law of the Land.”
This is clearly not something the Trump administration is aware of or seems to care about.
Here are two resources on Tribal Sovereignty:
As for what’s next with the work that would have been done under this grant: We will be forced to delay the hiring of a new staff member who would have been paid out of this grant. Additionally, the 180 food insecure families who would have received 7 berry bushes and 4 fruit trees will be forced to look elsewhere for their fresh produce.
Fortunately, we will be able to continue our home garden program this spring! That means these families will receive their own garden plot to grow some of their own food.
We’ll have more information in the coming months for those who wish to support those efforts!
