Courtesy of Potlatch Fund
Nez Perce tribal members paddle on the Snake River in a canoe they carved as part of a culture and environmental learning project supported by the Potlatch Fund.
Many levels of government, private foundations and charities are handing out economic recovery grants these days. A Native-led nonprofit serving the Pacific Northwest is carving out a niche by offering grants specifically to help Indigenous communities and artists rebound from the uneven effects of the pandemic.
On Monday, the Seattle-based Potlatch Fund began accepting applications for its newly-created Resiliency Fund. Potlatch Executive Director Cleora Hill-Scott said the fund has $1 million to distribute this year across Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana. There could be many grant recipients among tribal governments, nonprofits and individual Native artists and performing groups, because awards are set at $10,000 or $15,000.