Cherokee Preservation Foundation Announces 22 New Grants Totaling More than $2.4 Million

CHEROKEE, NC, September 15, 2010 – Cherokee Preservation Foundation (CPFdn) announced today it has awarded 22 new grants totaling more than $2.4 million.  The grants support cultural preservation, economic development, job creation and environmental preservation.  They include:

• Two grants to Cherokee Central Schools to stimulate Cherokee youths’ interest in their cultural heritage.  One grant will enable a master metalworker to teach Cherokee High School students how to work with silver and copper and supervise students in a public art project for the lobby of the Cherokee Cultural Arts Center at the Cherokee Central Schools.  The other grant enables master basket weaver Lucille Lossiah to continue teaching Cherokee High School students and preparing them to be the next generation of Cherokee basket weavers.  Of the 24 basket weavers in the community now making double woven river cane baskets, 15 are Cherokee High Schools students or recent graduates.

• A grant to the Kituwah Preservation and Education Program to build a nature trail at the new Kituwah Immersion School and teach students about the natural world in the Cherokee language.  The Inege Ganvhnv, or Trail in the Forest, will also be open for public use.

• A grant that will enable Wild South, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) Tribal Historical Preservation Office, the EBCI Cultural Resources Department and other partners to continue mapping ancient Cherokee trails in the region and make appropriate information available to the public.

• A grant to increase sochan production and distribution on the Qualla Boundary.  Seeds and crown divisions of the culturally important spring green will be gathered from regional sochan populations and planted on a site on the Cherokee Central Schools campus. 

• A grant that will enable Cherokee Indian Hospital to create a pleasant environment in its new pediatric area by integrating Cherokee legends, the Cherokee language and nature scenes into the décor.

• A grant that will enable the EBCI Geographical Information System (GIS) Department to complete the work it is doing to convert 1.8 million pages of land records kept by the Tribe, the Bureau of Land Management and the Bureau of Indian Affairs into an efficient computer database.  The database being funded by the grant will result in land record documentation being available on the Internet for people and businesses to use, improving the EBCI’s ability to control land management on the Qualla Boundary and establish land use policies.

• Funding that will enable Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual (Qualla) to continue the Crafts Education Program that is connecting Qualla with Cherokee youth and adult tribal members who want to learn about their heritage and develop their craft skills.  The popular program is helping Qualla recruit new members who are producing high-quality crafts.  With the new grant, some classes will be offered in collaboration with the Cherokee Reservation Cooperative Extension Service, and these classes will be open to the community at large and not limited to enrolled members of the Tribe.

• Grants to support the creation and development of youth councils in Macon and Jackson Counties that are modeled after the highly successful Cherokee Youth Council, which is giving local youth a voice on issues that are important to them and teaching them leadership skills.

• A grant that will enable approximately 60 schools on the Qualla Boundary and in Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Jackson, Macon and Jackson counties -- which have broadband access through the WNC EdNet network -- to engage teachers and students in the application of technology for learning enhancement.  Building on previous grants to the Western Region Education Service Alliance, Cherokee Preservation Foundation is making funds available for teachers’ professional development and for Student Technology Advisory Councils so schools can optimally use state-of-the-art technologies as teaching tools.

• A grant to fund the second phase of a streetscape improvement project in the Qualla Boundary’s Cultural District, where the principal cultural attractions are located.  The grant will also enable energy efficiency upgrades to facilities at the Oconaluftee Island Park and planning for future renewable energy projects that will be undertaken by the EBCI.

About Cherokee Preservation Foundation

Cherokee Preservation Foundation (www.cpfdn.org) was established in 2000 as part of the Second Amendment to the Tribal-State Compact between the EBCI and the State of North Carolina. It is an independent nonprofit foundation funded by the EBCI from gaming revenues generated by the Tribe. CPFdn is not associated with any for-profit gaming entity. Since CPFdn’s inception, it has made 656 grants totaling nearly $51 million to EBCI and regional projects and programs that address cultural preservation, economic development and job creation, and environmental sustainability. Every dollar of CPFdn support has been matched by $1.64 in secured grants or other funding or in-kind resources, making CPFdn’s total contribution to the region nearly $135 million.