FY 2024 OIED/AIANTA NATIVE Act Tourism Capacity Building Grants Request for Proposals (RFP)
DEADLINE EXTENDED NOW DUE JANUARY 16, 2024
Company Name
American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association, Inc. (AIANTA)
Address
6000 Uptown Blvd. NE Ste. 150
Albuquerque, NM 87110
Contact Person
Ariel Richardson, Office Manager
505.724.3592
arichardson@aianta.org
The American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association (AIANTA), the only national organization supporting cultural tourism efforts in Native Nations and communities, and the Office of Indian Economic Development (OIED) are working jointly to implement the Native American Tourism and Improving Visitor Experience (NATIVE) Act (Public Law 114-221) through technical assistance and training and through tourism capacity building grants. In alignment with the NATIVE Act, the overarching goals of this project are to provide tourism capacity building grants to Indian Tribes, Tribal Organizations and Native Hawaiian Organizations to enhance the visitor experience and provide economic and cultural benefits to Tribes, Tribal Organizations and Native Hawaiian Organizations.
In 2018, AIANTA entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the U.S. Department of Interior and the U.S. Department of Commerce naming AIANTA as a national facilitator to carry out provisions of the NATIVE Act. To support this work, OIED and AIANTA are issuing the following FY 2024 OIED/AIANTA NATIVE Act Tourism Capacity Building Grants Request for Proposals.
GRANT RANGE: $5,000 – $50,000
TOTAL AMOUNT TO BE GRANTED: $340,000
TIMELINE
Date Action
11.13.2023 Request for Proposal posted on AIANTA’s website at AIANTA.org
12.1.2023 Written questions regarding the proposal due to AIANTA
12.15.2023 AIANTA responds to all written questions as submitted
1.2.2024 Deadline to submit proposals to AIANTA to Arichardson@aianta.org
Jan/Feb 2024 Successful Applicants Notified/Grant Agreements sent out
March 2024 Grant Agreements Signed
TBD Grantees posted on AIANTA’s website and Press Release Issued
03.31.2025 All projects supported must be completed by March 31, 2025
05.31.2025 Reporting: Final Report due to AIANTA on or before May 31, 2025
CAPACITY BUILDING SUPPORT EXAMPLES:
The purpose of this funding opportunity is to provide broadly defined tourism capacity building support to enhance and expand cultural tourism efforts for Indian Tribes, Tribal Organizations and Native Hawaiian Organizations. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
- New equipment to support cultural/recreational tourism development and/or operations
- Needed repairs to support cultural/recreational tourism development and/or operations
- Internship stipends, Elder Honorariums in support of tourism development and/or operations
- Training for staff for cultural/recreational tourism development and/or operations
ELIGIBILITY
To be eligible for the grant opportunity, applicants must be from an American Indian Tribal Nation, a Tribal Enterprise, a Tribal Organization or a Native Hawaiian Organization and the project must be related to tourism capacity building efforts specific to cultural tourism development, growth or enhancement. It is the intent of OIED and AIANTA to award grants within all five of OIED’s regions (Alaska, Northwest, Southern, Eastern and Hawaii).
SELECTION CRITERIA
The proposed OIED/AIANTA NATIVE Act grant initiative is designed to advance the intent and purpose of the NATIVE Act through supporting and investing in efforts to develop, grow and enhance cultural tourism programs and initiatives for Tribes, Tribal Organizations and Native Hawaiian Organizations.
FY 2024 OIED/AIANTA NATIVE Act Tourism Capacity Building Grants Request for RFP grant proposals will be reviewed based on the following criteria:
- Does the project/program spur important tourism capacity building effortsand/or increase technical capacity? We are looking for projects and programs that support tourism capacity building for cultural tourism initiatives. (Up to 10 points)
- Is the project/program proposal developing a clear case for implementation? We are looking for a clear understanding of the project/program timeline, what the project/program intends to achieve, how it will be achieved and the specific tribe(s) Tribal Organization or Native Hawaiian Organization and a reasonable estimate of the number of people that will be positively impacted. If you have a tourism assessment or plan, please include the findings/planning outline. (Up to 10 points)
- Is the project/program broadly supported? We are looking for projects/programs that have support for implementation. Successful proposals will include the following:
- Evidence of Tribal/Organizational support to include:
Tribe: Letter of support from the Tribal Council and/or from the elected/appointed Tribal Leader.
Tribal Enterprise: Letter of support from the CEO/Executive Director and President of the Board of Directors.
Tribal Organization: Letter of support from the CEO/Executive Director and President of the Board of Directors.
Native Hawaiian Organization: Letter of support from the CEO/Executive Director and President of the Board of Directors.
- Letters of support or cooperation from other organizations that will collaborate on or be impacted by the project.
(Up to 10 points)
- Does the Tribe, Tribal Enterprise, Tribal Organization or Native Hawaiian Organization have the capacity to implement the proposal? We are looking for proposals that demonstrate the ability and capacity to implement through staff expertise and overall capacity. (5 points)
- Does the budget reflect the goals and objectives of the project? We are looking for a realistic and aligned budget with your proposed project. The indirect allocation for the budget should not exceed 15% of the project budget.
- Project location will also be considered to ensure there is a distribution of potential projects across OIED’s five (5) Regions (Alaska, Northwest, Southern, Eastern and Hawaii).
PROPOSAL CONTENT
Name of Applicant:
Application Submitted by:
Tribe/Tribal Enterprise/Tribally or Native Hawaiian led 501(c)(3) or PL 658 Nonprofit Status:
Website (if applicable):
Email Address:
Physical Address:
Mailing Address:
Phone Number:
PROPOSAL INFORMATION
Project/Program Title:
Please provide a summary of your request (2-3 sentence):
Number of people benefitting from the project:
Project/Program Location:
Project/Program Narrative (Up to two pages, 12-point font, single space):
Project/Program Goal(s) and Objectives (include Activities, Timeline, Milestones and Outcomes – max three pages)
Key Staff Bios (1-2 paragraphs per bio):
Letters of Support from Tribal Leadership, Tribal Council and/or Board of Directors:
Letters of support/collaboration from other partners:
Project plans and/or photographs of project:
Project/Program Budget and Budget Narrative (no page limit):
Audit/Financial Statements or 990:
Time and Place of Submission of Proposals
The RFP will be posted on our website, AIANTA.org on November 13, 2023. Respondents to this RFP are asked to submit their proposal via email to arichardson@aianta.org. Responses must be received no later than January 16, 2024, 5 pm (MDT). Responses should be clearly marked with the submitting party’s name in the re: line and emailed to the contact person as listed above.