By Michelle Tirado

Almost every day, a new American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding opportunity notice is issued. Coming almost as quickly are the deadlines to apply. In fact, quite a few have come and gone, and the federal agencies setting them have already announced the award recipients.

How can tribes keep up? There is $787 billion in economic stimulus money being handed out, and they do not want to miss their shot at getting some of it.

Several tribes have kept pace and have already been allocated funds. In March, the Cherokee Nation announced that it was expected to receive $42.5 million for a variety of programs. Also in March, 11 tribes were among the recipients of $37 million the U.S. Department of Energy approved for energy efficiency projects in Wisconsin.

In early April, eight Michigan tribes found out that they were awarded grants totaling nearly $400,000 through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Child Care and Development Fund.

Tribes that have not applied for funding yet, do not despair. Dante Desiderio, economic development policy specialist at the National Congress of American Indians, said there is still plenty left.

More announcements are on the way, but they will be coming fast and furious. “We really need to be vigilant in watching for these notices,” Desiderio said.

The best way to stay vigilant: Go to IndianCountryWorks.org, the Web site that NCAI launched and regularly updates to assist tribes in accessing these stimulus dollars. And go there every day. If a Recovery Act funding opportunity that tribes are eligible for is announced, the notice will be posted there as soon as it is issued.

Before applying for funding, though, tribes need to know that there are some strings attached that go beyond what they are accustomed to.

Quarterly reporting is one. No matter the program or how a tribe manages it, these quarterly reports are a must. For those that have received funding already, the first report was due April 1.

The accountability and transparency of Recovery Act funds does not end there. Funds that are awarded are being tracked on the government’s Recovery.gov site to ensure that taxpayers know exactly where and how their money will be spent.

“Any tribal leader who actually receives funds has to sign a document confirming [the tribe] will use the funds in accordance with the Recovery Act and agreeing to the new reporting and transparency rules and regulations,” Desiderio said.

A major goal of the Recovery Act is to create or save jobs — 3 million to 4 million of them. With just about every funding opportunity, this will be a required outcome. In many cases, those jobs must remain filled for a specific period of time.

There will be other required measurable results, as Desiderio pointed out, yet they will vary depending on the granting agency.

“It is just important for tribes to work with the agencies to figure out what these measurements are so that they are on track for acceptable use of the funds,” he said.

They need to also keep up with guideline updates, as they can change. For instance, Desiderio said that many think the Buy America Act provision only applies to contractors, but this is no longer the case. It now applies to all entities that receive Recovery Act funding.

The Recovery Act includes approximately $2.5 billion in direct funding for Indian Country, but tribes and eligible Native American organizations are eligible for billions more.

Some final advice from Desiderio: “There are programs that tribes are eligible for in this Recovery Act that [they] may not be used to getting. We strongly encourage tribes to look at these other programs that they are eligible for.”