laska Native Corporations (ANCs) were able to distribute more than $500 million in federal emergency funds, but they had to fight for it.

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act earmarked $8 billion in relief funds for tribal organizations nationwide. A lawsuit filed by the Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation of Washington, the Tulalip Tribes of Washington, and the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians of Maine claimed that ANCs, as for-profit entities, were not entitled to a share. Three Alaska tribes later joined the lawsuit: the Akiak Native Community, Asa’carsamiut Tribe of Mountain Village, and the Aleut Community of St. Paul Island.

The six tribes argued that CARES Act funding should only go to tribal governments, further arguing that ANCs should not qualify. The lawsuit also sought a temporary restraining order to stop the funding from being allocated until eligibility questions could be resolved.

On June 25, 2021, the US Supreme Court held in Yellen v. Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation that Alaska Native regional and village corporations are eligible to receive federal CARES Act funding intended for all eligible tribes.

Alaska’s Congressional delegation welcomed the ruling, saying that the court recognized what Congress had intended. The joint statement from Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan and Representative Don Young said, “Today, the US Supreme Court affirmed what we knew all along—that when Congress used the definition of ‘Indian Tribe’ from the Indian Self Determination and Education Assistance Act in the CARES Act, it absolutely made Alaska Native Corporations eligible for these coronavirus relief funds.”

The total amount of funds available for disbursement to ANCs was $443 million. This did not include the amount subject to the preliminary injunctions, and each ANC was provided at least $100,000.

In June 2021 the US Supreme Court held that Alaska Native corporations were eligible to receive CARES Act funds, allowing $443 million to be disbursed to the corporations to support their regions, shareholders, and descendents.

CITC

The response to the pandemic disrupted every aspect of life, so relief funds have been put to no end of uses.

Cook Inlet Region, Inc. (CIRI) Senior Director of Corporate Affairs Ethan Tyler explains, “COVID-19 emergency funding has supported a multitude of needs in the Cook Inlet region, everything from food for families with children, domestic violence victim support, and disaster-proof technology implementation.”

Tyler says each ANC determined for itself if proposed projects and organizations met the criteria and timeline of the legislation. “CIRI coordinated with a number of community partners and other ANCs to ensure the most efficient and effective use of these resources,” he says.

Following a thorough grant submission and approval process that included local nonprofits and tribally designated organizations, CIRI allocated funds to one of its nonprofit affiliates, Cook Inlet Tribal Council (CITC).

“There was extensive planning that went into CITC’s distribution of Treasury CARES Act Funding,” says LeeAnn Garrick, chief operating officer at CITC. “We were fortunate to receive funding from CIRI, and at each stage of the process our focus was on getting resources to where they were needed most.”

CITC leadership identified the importance of maximizing the flexibility for the programs and how to best benefit participants. “The goal was to make sure the funding had a meaningful impact on our people, particularly those who have been negatively impacted by the [COVID-19] pandemic,” Garrick says. “As such, these funds have helped feed families, support victims of domestic violence, and provide assistance for things like vehicle repairs, winter clothing, and computers for school-age children. We’ve also been able to help our people with subsidized employment and support innovative projects, such as the implementation of disaster-proof technology.”

CITC also assisted CIRI with the needs-based distribution of CARES Act funds to the corporation’s shareholders. “The deployment of these resources included the direct assistance program, which distributed much-needed funds to nearly 11,000 CIRI shareholders, descendants, and their dependents impacted by the pandemic,” Garrick says. “Internally, CITC really pulled together, collaborated with our counterparts at CIRI, and found innovative ways to make sure COVID relief resources were deployed thoughtfully and in ways that had a real impact on people’s lives.”

Every dollar distributed had to be accounted for, to avoid waste. “The processes for this work relied on close project management, innovative problem-solving, and a focus on the needs of our community and program participants,” Garrick says. “CITC has also diligently tracked and managed how these resources have been deployed to remain true to CARES Act intent and funding parameters. Throughout this effort, CITC has formed deeper relationships with its community partners, CIRI leaders, and integrated internal teams during the various phases of these projects.”

CITC serves more than 12,000 people each year through an array of integrated programs in several service areas that are designed to support and help individuals and families. Garrick says CARES Act funds have extended that work, supporting the Native community’s recovery efforts.

According to Tyler, CIRI and CITC worked to expand suicide prevention and mental health services for clients suffering from stress, trauma, and anxiety. Although the deadline to expend the funds has passed, this work continues.

CIRI also coordinated with other ANCs and Southcentral Foundation (SCF), which used CARES Act funds to expand clinics in its Behavioral Health Service programs and improve its other clinics. The COVID-19 pandemic has been identified as a leading cause for the dramatic increase in the demand for behavioral health services for adults and children. To expand the service available, SCF is opening two new behavioral health clinics in Anchorage, one for adults and another for children and families.

Another CIRI affiliate, Cook Inlet Housing Authority (CIHA), used CARES Act funding to purchase a van to support the Chuda House on the Kenai Peninsula. Chuda House (which means Grandmother’s House) provides senior housing for those ages sixty-two and older or disabled persons. The van provides residents with transportation for shopping and medical needs.

CIHA also purchased a van to help with the Protein Food Pantry program for senior housing residents. The van transports supplies to be repackaged for CIHA’s senior residents and delivered to those in need in Anchorage.

Squeezing every last dollar out of the relief funds, CIRI coordinated with the Alaska Community Foundation and Kenai Peninsula Foundation to support the Kenai Peninsula Emergency Homeless Shelter. There was previously no homeless shelter or similar facility in the Kenai Peninsula to meet the homeless population’s needs, which have grown because of COVID-19.

CIRI allocated a portion of its CARES Act funds to CITC, a nonprofit affiliate that focuses on “getting resources to where they are needed most.”

CITC

Money from the CARES act came with at least one string attached: it had to be spent quickly, before the end of 2021; however, the pandemic isn’t over. “The needs of our people did not stop on December 31,” Garrick says. “CITC continues to provide assistance to families impacted by COVID-19 and stands ready to thoughtfully assist our community members should additional resources become available.”

At this time, CIRI does not anticipate further assistance being offered. However, CITC and CIRI leadership are making the most of the CARES Act funds they received. “It was with this in mind that CIRI distributed CARES Act funding in ways that could have long-lasting community impacts,” Tyler says. “While the deadline for spending the funds was on December 31, 2021, the community need that was a result of the pandemic will still exist well beyond that date.”

The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021, also called the COVID-19 Stimulus Package, was a $1.9 trillion economic stimulus bill passed by Congress and signed by President Joe Biden on March 11, 2021—approximately a year after the CARES Act was enacted. One notable difference between the two is that ARPA contains a longer spending deadline, at the end of 2024. ARPA was intended to respond to the public health and economic challenges resulting from COVID-19 but did not carry the same requirements as the CARES Act funding.

CARES Act funds allocated for direct assistance to nearly 11,000 CIRI shareholders, descendants, and dependents were distributed based on need.

CITC

ARPA allocated $1.4 billion for Alaska tribes, which could be used to further address social welfare and public safety programs with fewer restrictions. This includes support for tribal housing, tribal government services, child welfare assistance, and delivery of potable water. Every tribe was eligible for $2.64 million, even the eighteen with fewer than 100 enrolled members. (For perspective, by membership, Alaska’s largest tribe is the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes, with more than 32,000 members.) Beyond that minimum, ARPA funds were distributed based on the tribal population and the number of employees.

For smaller tribes the ARPA funds are especially significant, providing more funds than their typical annual budget and more time to spend them for whatever needs arise.