Grants to Wisconsin tribes to provide support during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis. Funding is intended to assist with activities that address health disparities and improve the community health infrastructure for tribal communities within the state. Funds may be used by each indigenous nation, as well as by a specified tribal health center and tribal council, to self-direct their recovery from the effects of the pandemic, enhance communication within the tribe, improve tribal infrastructure for future emergency response, and create partnerships in business, transportation, housing, and other areas.

Supporting Native Nations Communities in Prevention and Recovery from COVID-19 and Beyond:

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted health inequities across the nation and in Wisconsin. Data shows that Wisconsin’s Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) have been disproportionality affected. Health is influenced by structural racism and social factors that have created barriers and obstacles for many people.

Utilizing this data and acknowledging each Native nation’s “efficiency in delivering core public health services and community-oriented outlook”, this grant will support the strength and resilience of each nation, their community health, and their collaborative efforts by distributing funding as each nation determines their own recovery and future preparedness needs. This grant will promote multi-directional, transparent, and sustained communication between the 11 federally-recognized Native nations located in Wisconsin, the Gerald L. Ignace Health Center, the Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Council, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services Tribal Affairs’ Office and Division of Public Health.

The goals of the grant include supporting new, existing and expanding partnerships and collaboration that address the community health infrastructure, advance health equity, and address the social determinants of health as these relate to COVID-19 and other health disparities as experienced by Indigenous communities in Wisconsin. 

The funding from this grant will assist each federally-recognized Native nation in Wisconsin, the Gerald L. Ignace Health Center, and the Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Council to: 

• Self-determine and self-direct the restoration and recovery of their communities from the effects of COVID-19; 
• Create or sustain partnerships with traditional and non-traditional key partners in business, transportation, housing and so forth; 
• Engage community leaders and advisory groups and enhance culturally-appropriate communication with their own trusted messengers; and 
• Enhance tribal infrastructure and capacity that can effectively respond to and prevent communicable disease outbreaks and other public health emergencies. 

A key focus for this funding opportunity will be in projects that strive to improve the social determinants of health and the advancement of health equity affecting Indigenous people living in Wisconsin. Most importantly, the potential use of this grant funding will allow each Native nation and agency to tailor it to their most pressing needs while sustaining and enhancing communication between these agencies and Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Division of Public Health. 

Examples of potential investments of this funding include: 

• Expanding use of community health workers and centers
• Linking patients to existing resources
• Assuring food and housing security 
• Working towards equitable access to clean water, air, land (environmental justice)
• Building capacity for public health emergency preparedness, COVID-19 and other disease outbreak response 
• Increasing broadband access
• Expanding community health services
• Improving transportation options to increase accessibility
• Increasing community-accessible spaces for physical, mental, and spiritual activities and practices 

For Examples of Allowable Expenses, see p. 3 of the RFA listed in Supporting Documents below.