Gun Lake Tribe awarded $1.5M federal grant for infrastructure upgrades on tribal land

Gun Lake Tribe awarded $1.5M federal grant for infrastructure upgrades on tribal land

The Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians, or Gun Lake Tribe, will receive a $1.5 million federal grant from the Commerce Department’s Economic Development Administration for infrastructure investments to support economic growth.

Part of the American Rescue Plan Act-funded Indigenous Communities program at EDA, the funding will help pay for water and sewer upgrades on tribal land in Shelbyville and support 350 jobs. The federal funding will be matched with $2.3 million in local investment, which is expected to generate $10 million in private investment, according to Gun Lake Tribe estimates.

“Tribal communities were disproportionately impacted by the coronavirus pandemic,” Alejandra Castillo, assistant secretary of commerce for economic development, said in a statement. “This EDA investment will grow the economy on the Tribal reservation and create new job opportunities for Tribal members.”

The Indigenous Communities program allocates $100 million in ARPA funding to tribes across the U.S. The funding is meant to help stimulate economic development projects for tribal communities that were disproportionately harmed by the pandemic.

The Gun Lake Tribe funding is among a series of Michigan investments announced this week by the Economic Development Agency. Other awards included $1.5 million to the city of West Branch to construct a new water treatment plant and new well. The grant requires a $2 million local match.

The EDA on Tuesday announced $1.6 million for the city of Ecorse to expand a park and build a boat launch on the Detroit River. The grant is matched with $410,400 in local funds.

The bureau also announced $3.6 million for water, sewer and utility upgrades at the Capital Region International Airport in Lansing. This funding is part of the EDA’s $300 million Coal Communities Commitment program, which is meant to “support coal communities as they recover from the pandemic and to help them create new jobs and opportunities, including through the creation or expansion of a new industry sector,” according to the EDA.