Past News Items

For the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community (SITC), reviving the ancient tradition of clam gardening is not just about sustaining a traditional food or building resilience to climate change, it’s about community — strengthening connections across the Swinomish community and sharing knowledge with other Indigenous communities.

Funding will support “all-of-community” Native language immersion programs.

WASHINGTON – The Department of the Interior today announced a $27 million investment from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda to protect Tribal communities by repairing and upgrading clean water systems and replacing failing dams.

WASHINGTON – Today, the Department of the Interior’s Office of the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs announced the distribution of over $1.4 billion in contracts to Indian Economic Enterprises in Fiscal Year 2023 across the Department, which includes $1.03 billion awarded to Indian Small Business Economic Enterprises, a historical high for the Department.

WASHINGTON – The Department of the Interior’s Office of the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs today announced a final rule to update the federal regulations governing fee-to-trust, or land-into-trust, acquisitions that transfer land title to the United States to be held in trust for the benefit of a Tribe or individual Tribal citizen.

WASHINGTON — In opening remarks at the 2023 White House Tribal Nations Summit today, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland announced that the White House Council on Native American Affairs (WHCNAA) is taking critical steps to improve access to capital across Indian Country, including through the launch of an online clearinghouse that will serve as a searchable repository for an up-to-date list of all federal funding opportunities, including grants and loans, available to Tribal Nations and Native businesses.

WASHINGTON – Ahead of the 2023 White House Tribal Nations Summit, Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Bryan Newland announced that the Department of the Interior is transferring more than $300,000 to the National Fund for Excellence in American Indian Education, a federally chartered charitable nonprofit corporation established by Congress to further educational opportunities for American Indian students attending schools funded by the Bureau of Indian Education.

DOI published revised regulations and new departmental guidance documents that strengthen Tribal sovereignty and Tribal self-determination, center Indigenous Knowledge, and prioritize responsible stewardship of Native American human remains, cultural items, and sites sacred to Tribes and Native Hawaiians.

In FY23, the Timber Team added five new foresters to better assist Tribes with forestry tasks such as Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) ground truthing, timber sale preparation work, and forest inventories. The Timber Team traveled over 23 weeks across seven states and six BIA Regions to assist 12 different tribes.

Nearly $2 million will help stabilize American Indian and Alaska Native families and communities