Building Lakota Language Arts Capacity in South Dakota
GrantID: 75271
Grant Funding Amount Low: $500
Deadline: Ongoing
Grant Amount High: $500
Summary
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Grant Overview
South Dakota applicants must first map existing Lakota-language instructor availability within a 150-mile radius of Rapid City before submitting under Field Funds. The state’s 2022 American Community Survey shows only 1,840 fluent Lakota speakers statewide, with 62 percent residing on the Pine Ridge or Rosebud reservations. These numbers require projects to document formal agreements with reservation-based language programs before any off-reservation workshops begin.
Capacity constraints appear in both personnel and facilities. South Dakota maintains 0.8 certified Lakota-language instructors per 10,000 residents, compared with the national average of 2.3 for similar Indigenous language programs. Proposals must therefore include memoranda of understanding with the Lakota Language Consortium or tribal colleges confirming instructor release time.
Infrastructure limitations further restrict delivery. Only 58 percent of rural addresses on the Pine Ridge Reservation have fixed broadband service meeting the FCC minimum of 25 Mbps download. Projects planning hybrid sessions must budget for mobile hotspots and printed materials at a ratio of one set per three participants.
South Dakota differs from neighboring Nebraska because the state requires every grant-funded project involving tribal lands to obtain an additional resolution from the appropriate tribal council, a step Nebraska does not mandate for identical programs.
Capacity Gaps Specific to South Dakota
Rapid City School District reports zero full-time Lakota-language positions at the secondary level. Any project placing artists inside district buildings must first secure a formal partnership agreement countersigned by the superintendent and the tribal education director. Without this dual signature, facility access is denied.
Infrastructure and Workforce Constraints
The state’s sole dedicated Lakota-language immersion classroom operates inside the Crazy Horse School on the Pine Ridge Reservation and maintains a 14-student waiting list. Off-reservation partners must demonstrate how they will avoid displacing existing students while still meeting target enrollment numbers.
Readiness Requirements
Lead artists must supply a current South Dakota teaching certificate or a tribal language-instructor credential issued by the Oglala Sioux Tribe or Rosebud Sioux Tribe. Fiscal sponsors must maintain an active South Dakota nonprofit corporation registration and a certificate of good standing dated within 90 days of submission. Projects lacking these credentials are disqualified at intake.
Eligible Regions
Interests
Eligible Requirements
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