Awarded Grant from NDN Collective!

Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians Awarded Grant from NDN Collective to accompany its COVID-19 Supportive Services Program! 

As the Tribe’s homelands of northern Los Angeles County experience an increase in positive COVID-19 cases, critical funding from NDN Collective will support the development of a web-based platform for cultural and community engagement.

San Fernando, CA. On May 1, 2020, the Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians (Tribe), a native sovereign nation of northern Los Angeles County, was awarded a grant through the NDN Collective COVID-19 Response Project. This Project is designed to provide immediate relief to some of the most underserved communities in the country. NDN Collective’s intent is to quickly distribute resources to frontline organizations, Tribes and individuals to provide gap services during this health crisis, and to artists and entrepreneurs who have suffered the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“While the federal stimulus package has some great resources that will soon be available for Tribes and Tribal serving organizations, many frontline groups, rural and understaffed Tribes will be at a disadvantage to gain access to those resources. NDN’s Project is meant to bolster and support existing services and make sure that our people have access to essential services during this time.” – Michael Johnson, NDN Collective Director of Advancement. 

To accompany the Tribe’s COVID19 Supportive Services Program, the Tribe is developing a web-based platform to facilitate community engagement. The use of innovative strategies to stay in communication with the tribal community ensures access to reliable information, cultural knowledge, and community events in the virtual space while addressing loneliness and adhering to Safer-At-Home orders. Lastly, the Tribe will use these funds to create culturally-based P.S.A’s promoting health in our Tribal community.

“Our people are the first of these lands, and yet, always the last to be considered for funding resources by the federal, state and local governments. We are grateful for organizations like NDN Collective that trust in the leadership of Tribal Nations to utilize these funds in ways that benefit their people and the greater Tribal community in these dire times.” – Rudy Ortega Jr., Tribal President, Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians.

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