"Educate every Indian landowner about Indian land management, ownership and transference issues so that knowledge becomes power when decisions about land assets are made."
Most Indian land tenure issues—land loss, unprotected and inaccessible cultural and spiritual sites, fractionated ownership, loss of economic opportunity—stem from widespread lack of knowledge about the history, cultural significance and legal status of Indian lands. To make lasting, positive change, education about Indian land tenure must reach all generations of Indian people, from young children learning the creation stories of their tribes to elders understanding the importance of writing a will so that lands are passed down safely to the next generation.
Funding Areas
Head Start & K-12 Curriculum Implementation
ILTF provides financial assistance to Head Start and K-12 educational institutions seeking to implement ILTF’s Lessons of Our Land curriculum in individual or multiple classrooms, school-wide or district-wide.
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State-Wide Curriculum Initiative
ILTF supports efforts that lead to state-wide implementation of the Lessons of Our Land curriculum. This may include comprehensive efforts to adapt the curriculum to Indian nations in that state and offer implementation support and teacher training state-wide. It may also include more strategic efforts that look to change state standards to include Native content, work to ensure that teachers receive training on Native content, or work with tribal education departments to advance strategies to educate their students about their land.
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College Course Implementation
ILTF provides funds for adaptation and implementation of two college courses: the Native Land Tenure History course addresses historical to current Indian land tenure issues; and the Strategic Land Planning course speaks to community-based planning and development for Indian nations.
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College Internship
ILTF supports colleges and universities in implementing a college internship providing an opportunity for students to become directly involved in land tenure issues for college credit. This program places students at a tribal office working directly on land tenure issues under the supervision of appropriate tribal office staff and college faculty.
RFP Currently Closed
Strategic Land Planning Training for Tribal Governments
ILTF provides funding to Indian nations to conduct strategic land planning training sessions designed to prepare tribal leaders, tribal planners and tribal land specialists with the tools necessary to develop a strategic land plan for their reservation. ILTF may also support the strategic land planning process itself. Educational tribal strategic land planning materials are available to Indian nations upon request and designed to be adapted to meet a tribe’s specific need.
RFP Currently Closed
Strategic Land Planning Training for Landowners on an Allotment
ILTF provides support to tribes, tribal colleges, training organizations or Indian allottee organizations to provide training and technical support to undivided interest owners of an identified allotment. These workshops are designed to facilitate productive discussions among all owners of the allotment about land and title, options for land use, changing a lease agreement, consolidating ownership interests, building a home or starting a business.
RFP Currently Closed
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ILTF remains open to unique and innovative projects from the community that serve to enlighten our strategies (education, cultural awareness, economic opportunity and legal reform) and have a significant impact on land issues in Indian Country. Consideration is given to projects with a broad, positive and replicable impact for Indian nations, while at the same time respecting the differences among, and unique circumstances of, Indian communities.
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