Huffman Announces Education Grants for Native Communities

October 14, 2020

San Rafael, CA – Today, Representative Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) announced that the U.S. Department of Education is awarding over 1.5 million dollars in Federal funding to Tribes in California’s Second District. Demonstration Grants have been awarded to the Yurok Tribe and the Tolowa Dee-Ni’ Nation to evaluate and expand school services for Native children. 

“Adequate funding is critical in ensuring the success of all students, especially Native American students who are often more likely to attend schools in rural and underserved districts,” said Rep. Huffman. “This funding will increase collaboration between local tribes and schools, improve enrollment and retention of native students, and expand programs and services such as apprenticeships, classes on native language and culture, online courses, and books and supplies. The federal government has a long history of turning its back on Native communities, and I’m glad to see them support critical education programs in our local Native communities.”

The grants are anticipated to help 2,000 students from the Yurok Tribe and 1,000 students from the Tolowa Dee-Ni' Nation, and will be distributed as follows:

  • $1,038,353 to the Yurok Tribe’s Native Educational Choices and Empowerment Project
  • $655,193 to the Tolowa Dee-Ni’ Nation’s California/Oregon Indian Student Services Program.

“The Yurok Tribe is using these much-needed funds to create a customizable support system for tribal students. In an effort to close the achievement gap, we are creating a digital platform that parents and students can use to select a series of standard and cultural relevant services, ranging from college counseling to traditional knowledge development. This specially tailored tool will ensure that our students receive the targeted assistance they need to complete high school and continue their education, whether it’s at a university or a vocational academy. We would like to thank our Native Educational Choices and Empowerment Project team as well as the US Department of Education for investing in our youth and the future of our Tribe,” said Yurok Chairman Joseph L. James. 

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