"The National Congress of American Indians unveiled a Web site (www.indiancountryworks.org) Wednesday meant to provide tribes with up-to-date information about $3 billion targeted for tribes in the American Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the $787 billion stimulus package that President Barack Obama signed into law Tuesday.

In a conference call Wednesday with tribal leaders, NCAI Executive Director Jackie Johnson Pata urged those leaders to start prioritizing their needs and designing projects ready for implementation as soon as federal agencies give tribes notice about grant opportunities.

"We've got harder work to get up and take advantage of the opportunities placed before us," she said. "This is an exciting opportunity for Indian Country."

Stimulus money meant for tribes will be directed first to federal agencies and other institutions that serve tribal governments. Those agencies ultimately will have discretion over how stimulus funds are distributed to tribes. Those funds will be distributed to tribes mostly through existing federal grant programs, which are likely to have application deadlines much shorter than usual."

Get the Story:
Kevin Abourezk: NCAI Unveils Indian Stimulus Web Site (RezNet News 2/19)

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act:
H.R.1 | S.1

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