sustainability into modern day applications of learning and caring for Mother Earth. The Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin is internationally known for its forest management and sustained yield forestry practices.
References: [Photograph of College of Menominee Nation] (2017). Retrieved from: https://tribalcollegejournal.org/college- menominee-nation-wins-major-grant/
[Photograph of Menominee Nation Forest] (2012). Retrieved from: https://www.americanforests.org/magazine/article/menominee-forest-keepers/
Menominee Tribal Enterprises. (n.d.). Retrieved from: https://www.mtewood.com
The First 20 Years of the 1994 Land-Grant Institutions. (n.d.). Retrieved from: https://www.nifa.usda.gov/sites/default/files/resource/1994%20LGU%20Anniversary%20Pub%20WEB_0.pdf
USDA-NIFA Tribal Colleges
The United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA) is the main funding agency for land-grant colleges and universities. Tribal colleges are, however, different from the other land-grants in how funds are awarded. Other colleges receive funding based on various formulas that consider state demographics. Many tribal colleges are required to go through a competitive process in order to access the dollars appropriated by the federal government. This funding is administered through the USDA-NIFA Tribal Programs, targeting five areas of need for tribal communities. Funding from USDA-NIFA for Tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) is available in four separate allocations. All are competitive except for the endowment, which is based on the original 1994 act, whereby the United States Congress sets aside a fund that allows for an annual disbursement of interest earned divided by the number of approved 1994 Land-Grant colleges. The TCU extension, equity, and research funding is awarded based on competitive grant cycles on four- or two-year increments. Many tribal colleges have a designated land- grant office that oversees this funding in its entirety. The College of Menominee Nation’s Department of Continuing Educati on acts as the college’s extension program to the community and manages and applies for USDA-NIFA Tribal Extension funding, which is typically in four-year cycles. Equity funding provides resources to build areas of the college that are in need of growth and also is awarded in a four-year competitive grant cycle. At the College of Menominee Nation this funding supports the Sustainable Development Institute, which is responsible for bringing new and sustainable ideas to the organization. Examples include climate change research and its impact on the forest as well as identification, cataloguing, and use of Native plants that are traditionally used for food and medicine. Capacity funding provides the resources to cover community- and agricultural-related programming and faculty development in areas such as sustainable agriculture, farming and ranching, health-related issues, and the environment. Research opportunities for tribal colleges with USDA-NIFA funding are available on an annual basis that
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