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- By Native News Online Staff
WASHINGTON — In addition to articles already covered by Native News Online, here is a roundup of other news released from Washington, D.C. that impacts Indian Country recently.
White House Tribal Nations Summit to be Held on Monday, Dec. 9
As Native News Online previously reported, the White House Tribal Nations Summit will take place on Monday, Dec. 9, in Washington, D.C. The White House announced on Wednesday that President Joe Biden will address the summit. Last year, Vice President Kamala Harris addressed the assembled tribal leaders. There has been no official announcement regarding whether or not she will speak this year.
Native News Online will attend the summit.
Funding Opportunity: USFS Wood Products Infrastructure Assistance (WPIA) Grant Program
The USDA Forest Service is announcing the availability of up to $20 million of financial assistance to facilities that purchase and process byproducts from ecosystem restoration projects in areas at risk of unnaturally severe wildfire or insect or disease infestation.
The Wood Products Infrastructure Assistance provides funding may be used to provide support for facilities that purchase and process byproducts of ecosystem restoration projects. This includes applications to establish, reopen, retrofit, expand, or improve a sawmill or other wood-processing facility in close proximity to federal or Indian lands that need ecosystem restoration and will generate byproducts. The emphasis is on areas of unnaturally severe high fire or insect or disease infestation with high or very high priority for ecological restoration. This program is funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
The deadline to apply for financial assistance is 5:00 p.m. local time on Wednesday, December 18, 2024
Contact Adam Smith [email protected] for more information. Click on the below links to learn more.
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Help us tell the stories that could save Native languages and food traditions
At a critical moment for Indian Country, Native News Online is embarking on our most ambitious reporting project yet: "Cultivating Culture," a three-year investigation into two forces shaping Native community survival—food sovereignty and language revitalization.
The devastating impact of COVID-19 accelerated the loss of Native elders and with them, irreplaceable cultural knowledge. Yet across tribal communities, innovative leaders are fighting back, reclaiming traditional food systems and breathing new life into Native languages. These aren't just cultural preservation efforts—they're powerful pathways to community health, healing, and resilience.
Our dedicated reporting team will spend three years documenting these stories through on-the-ground reporting in 18 tribal communities, producing over 200 in-depth stories, 18 podcast episodes, and multimedia content that amplifies Indigenous voices. We'll show policymakers, funders, and allies how cultural restoration directly impacts physical and mental wellness while celebrating successful models of sovereignty and self-determination.
This isn't corporate media parachuting into Indian Country for a quick story. This is sustained, relationship-based journalism by Native reporters who understand these communities. It's "Warrior Journalism"—fearless reporting that serves the 5.5 million readers who depend on us for news that mainstream media often ignores.
We need your help right now. While we've secured partial funding, we're still $450,000 short of our three-year budget. Our immediate goal is $25,000 this month to keep this critical work moving forward—funding reporter salaries, travel to remote communities, photography, and the deep reporting these stories deserve.
Every dollar directly supports Indigenous journalists telling Indigenous stories. Whether it's $5 or $50, your contribution ensures these vital narratives of resilience, innovation, and hope don't disappear into silence.
The stakes couldn't be higher. Native languages are being lost at an alarming rate. Food insecurity plagues many tribal communities. But solutions are emerging, and these stories need to be told.
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Levi Rickert (Potawatomi), Editor & Publisher
