Press Release | April 28, 2025
Nine Native American individuals receive Maada’ookiing grants for projects that strengthen Native culture
Up to $5,000 each awarded to Native-led grantees throughout the region
The Northland Foundation is pleased to share that nine individuals were awarded a total of $43,990 in Maada’ookiing grants last month.
Maada’ookiing (“the distribution” in Ojibwe) is a Native American-led program of the Northland Foundation. Grant funding up to $5,000 is offered three times per year to Tribal citizens, descendants, or those who have kinship ties or affiliation to Native American communities within the foundation’s geographic region. Maada’ookiing grants are considered and approved by the Maada’ookiing Advisory Board.
“The Maada’ookiing Advisory Board’s decision last spring to increase the grant to $5,000 has, I believe, opened the door to more opportunities to support—in a more meaningful way—the wealth of important, creative work that happens at the grassroots community level,” said Cayla Bellanger DeGroat, Program Officer at the Northland Foundation.
Grants have been awarded to several projects related to teaching and promoting Ojibwe language—including a children’s book, a video for young children and caregivers, and a billboard project. Other grantees’ projects involve sharing and building community around traditional arts such as ribbon skirts, moccasin-making, and hand drumming. Educational programming on the night sky and dark skies, as well as ongoing cultural programming at the charter school located in Tower, Minnesota, also received support.
“It was gratifying to see the great variety of projects coming from points throughout the Northland Foundation’s service area in this round,” stated Cayla Bellanger DeGroat, Program Officer at the foundation.
The recently awarded Maada’ookiing grantees and their projects are listed below.
Wendy Savage, Duluth: $5,000
To support an informative historical session and project demonstrating Native American Great Lakes applique ribbon skirts and the sewing applique process.
Sarah Agaton Howes, Cloquet: $5,000
To support a series of classes for Native makers and artists to learn, share, and build community on the Fond du Lac Reservation.
Ivy Vainio, Duluth: $5,000
To support a billboard project in the Duluth community that brings visibility to the Ojibwe language and strengthens use of the language.
Rebecca Gawboy, Tower: $5,000
To support Native American cultural programming at the Vermillion Country School.
Travis Novitsky, Grand Portage: $5,000
To support the purchase of equipment that will allow Gitch Onigaming dark skies education and outreach efforts to continue to expand community understanding of the night sky.
Suzanne Buan, Hermantown: 5,000
To support a video production for babies, preschool children, and their caregivers which promotes Ojibwe language skills and use in families of young children.
Erika Bailey-Johnson, Bemidji: $4,000
To support the distribution of a series of children’s books that strengthen the understanding and use of the Ojibwe language to tribal communities in the region.
Elizabeth Jaakola, Cloquet: $5,000
To support an annual gathering where Indigenous women can learn about Anishinaabe hand drumming.
Alberta Warwas, Iron: $4,990
To support classes on ribbon skirt and moccasin making for students and parents at the Cherry school.
Applications for grant funding can be submitted online at any time through the Northland Foundation’s website. The typical submission deadlines for each of the three grants rounds are February 15, May 15, and September 15. However, the next deadline to apply for a Maada’ookiing grant for summer funding has been extended to May 28, 2025.