On January 31, the Lummi Nation of Washington, the Turtle Mountain Chippewa of North Dakota, and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe of South Dakota signed long-term partnerships with the Northwest Area Foundation to fight poverty on their reservations. The Northwest Area Foundation agreed to give the tribes $25 million over the next 10 years. Sylvia Burgos-Toftness, the foundation’s communications officer, said that the process they used to select the tribes was "fairly extensive," as there were 76 tribes in the region vying for the funds. "We worked with each tribe for about two years prior to entering partnership," Burgos-Toftness told the Rapid City Journal. "To choose, we used numbers of criteria including noting what their poverty level is, the distinction among the tribes, and the potential impact of what our investment might be…after many months and iterations, we narrowed it down to a handful and then visited them on their reservations before making the final decision." The foundation plans to work closely with the tribes during the next 10 years to help the tribes achieve their ambitions of reducing poverty, creating jobs, and stimulating fiscal development. Each tribe has drafted a plan for how they will use their funds. A commonly cited goal among the tribes is to involve children and teenagers, especially those at risk of dropping out of school, in educational activities so that they will become positive role models. Other aims mentioned included opening an enterprise center and kindling business development on the reservation through loan programs for new enterprises. The initial payments are to be granted immediately.
