Living Languages Grant Program (LLGP)

The Office of the Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs, through OIED, is soliciting proposals from eligible applicants.  Eligible applicants are Indian Tribes and Tribal Organizations, as defined in Section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (ISDEAA) (25 U.S.C. 5304), including Tribal Consortia.  Eligible applicants may select or retain for-profit or non-profit Tribal Organizations to perform a grant’s scope of work for grant funding to support Tribal programs to create or expand a language immersion program.  The LLGP will exclude as grantees BIE schools and BIE-funded schools or programs targeting students enrolled in those schools.This is a competitive discretionary grant program authorized under the Snyder Act (25 U.S.C. 13) and the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (PL 117-164).  The Snyder Act authorizes the BIA to expend such monies as Congress may appropriate for the benefit, care, and assistance of Indians for the purposes listed in the Act.  The LLGP grants facilitate one of the purposes listed in the Snyder Act: “General support and civilization, including education.”  The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, authorizes the BIA to “carry out the operation of Indian programs by direct expenditure, contracts, cooperative agreements, compacts, and grants, either directly or in cooperation with States and other organizations.”  Further, the Conference Report specifies, the agreement continues $5,676,000 for grants to federally recognized Indian Tribes and Tribal organizations to provide native language instruction and immersion programs to Native students not enrolled at Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) schools, including those Tribes and organizations in states without Bureau-funded schools. The Secretary or their designee will make the final determination on all grant awardees.OIED anticipates awarding approximately 18 to 22 grants under this announcement ranging in value from approximately $250,000 to $300,000 in annual funding.  LLGP awards will remain active for a three-year period of performance.  OIED will use a competitive evaluation process for awarding based on criteria described in Section E. Application Review Information of this notice.  Only one application will be accepted from an eligible Tribe. LLGP funding is intended for immersion projects that can provide a “all-of-community” language program with measurable outcomes which will be achieved within the proposed period of performance.  No project shall be funded that has comparable activities previously carried out under other federal assistance.