Cherokee Preservation Foundation

Cherokee Preservation Foundation Announces More than $1.4 Million in Grants
To Support Youth Development and Workforce Development Programs

CHEROKEE, NC, April 10, 2007 – Cherokee Preservation Foundation (CPFdn) announced today that it has awarded five grants totaling more than $1.4 million during its spring cycle to support youth development and workforce development programs for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) and the region.

CPFdn’s support includes:

A $650,000 grant to enable Cherokee Central Schools to continue and expand the project-based learning model in which students learn by doing projects that incorporate multiple elements of the curriculum. The grant will also enable training for teachers and the development of a Cherokee cultural curriculum.
A $700,000 grant to enable the Western North Carolina Education Network (WNC EdNET) to complete its high capacity broadband network that will connect the seven western North Carolina school systems, including Cherokee Central Schools. The network will enable the region’s schools to prepare their students for life and careers in the 21st century.
A $20,000 grant to enable the newly formed Cherokee Youth Leadership Advisory Group to develop a Cherokee Youth Forum that will provide a unified voice for the youth of Cherokee. With the goal of assisting the EBCI in preparing for a better future, through this grant CPFdn is implementing the initial phase of leadership development programming. In August 2006, a leadership convening was held in Cherokee with the purpose of exploring ways to engage youth and help them develop leadership skills. The Cherokee Youth Leadership Advisory Group was created as a result of the convening and currently has 16 members representing youth groups on the Qualla Boundary.
In connection with CPFdn’s leadership development initiative, a $15,300 grant to develop a strategic plan that integrates cultural components into Cherokee Challenge’s programming. Cherokee Challenge is an adventure-based after-school program within the Cherokee Center for Family Services.
A $17,000 grant to introduce EBCI high school students to the practice of archaeology and to develop site preservation plans for the Cades Cove area.

About Cherokee Preservation Foundation

Cherokee Preservation Foundation (www.cpfdn.org) was established on November 14, 2000, as part of the Second Amendment to the Tribal-State Compact between the EBCI and the State of North Carolina. It is an independent nonprofit foundation funded by the EBCI from gaming revenues generated by the Tribe. CPFdn is not part of or associated with any for-profit gaming entity. Since CPFdn’s inception in 2000, it has made 375 grants totaling nearly $31 million to EBCI and regional projects and programs that address cultural preservation, economic development and job creation, and environmental renewal and protection. Every dollar of CPFdn support has been matched by $1.38 in secured grants or other funding or in-kind resources, making CPFdn’s total contribution to the region more than $73 million.