We support community development and projects that address the social determinants of health in American Indian communities.
Connections to the land, culture, traditional diets, and strong family and community ties have supported the resilience, well-being, and health of American Indian communities in Montana throughout history and now. Health disparities among American Indian people relate to unmet basic needs like housing, employment, and food security, as well as health care access and quality issues (which we address in the Strengthening American Indian Health Services Initiative).
This initiative builds partnerships with tribes, Native-led nonprofits, and urban Indian health organizations to address housing needs, build food systems that strengthen traditional diets and access to affordable, healthful food, create employment and economic opportunities, and revitalize language and culture.
We support projects that:
Reducing American Indian Health Disparities Initiative One-Pager
SPOTLIGHT: STRENGTHENING MONTANA’S FOOD SYSTEMS
Montana’s ranchers and farmers are major producers of a wide range of foods, including meat, lentils, grains, and vegetables. Even so, in many communities, particularly in rural Montana, there are opportunities to improve access to affordable, healthful, locally-produced foods.
Over the past several years, we have invested more in building local food systems as a pathway to better health. Our goal: to help build a more connected, sustainable food system that ensures all Montanans can access healthful, locally produced food.
INITIATIVE PROGRESS
We launched the Reducing American Indian Health Disparities Initiative in 2017. The initiative focuses on building long-term partnerships and providing technical assistance and flexible capital through contracts, grants, and low-interest loans.
Since the initiative’s launch, we have funded nine tribal housing needs assessments, feasibility studies, and other pilot projects. We have also supported 18 tribal food initiatives and served eight Montana tribal communities.
We support projects that improve local food production, develop reservation housing, and grow local businesses.
Visit our Grant Library to learn more about these projects.
Our Support
We support planning and programs that address basic health needs, such as housing, food security, education, and employment.
We also offer low-interest loans to address needs such as housing restoration or construction, infrastructure to support food sovereignty, and other capital project needs. These loans can also help secure additional funds from various state and federal community development programs.
For more information on participating in the initiative, please contact our program team at [email protected].
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Contact
If you have a question about this initiative, please email our program team.