GT Band Distributes More Than $873K To Local Organizations

The Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa & Chippewa Indians announced the distribution of $873,420 in gaming revenue allocation to local governments and school districts this week.

The 61 recipients received funding as part of the Tribe's two percent allocation, which takes place twice per year. The Tribe received 96 applications totaling $2.6 million in funding requests this cycle. Final selection of recipients was made by a vote of the Tribal Council. The next decision regarding two percent allocations will occur in July. Since the two percent allocation began in 1994, the Grand Traverse Band has allocated $38,752,961 to local organizations.

The following is a complete list of local organizations and projects that received funding this cycle.

Gov't to Gov't Agreement - Antrim County
Prisoner Housing Contract
$12,775.00

Gov't to Gov't Agreement - Benzie County
Prisoner Housing Contract
$19,162.50

Gov't to Gov't Agreement - Charlevoix County
Prisoner Housing Contract
$12,775.00

Gov't to Gov't Agreement - Leelanau County
Prisoner Housing Contract
$63,875.00

Acme Township
Funding to complete Phase 1 of its universally-accessible playground in its newly renovated Bayside Park.
$15,000.81

Almira Township
Funding for Horse North Rescue, helping horses with shelters, fending, feed, hay, veterinary and farrier care, and re-training.
$5,000.00

Antrim County
Funding for Special Olympics of Michigan (SOMI) Area 2 to cover the registration costs of the athletes and coaches and chaperones for the 2019 Special Olympics of Michigan winter games being held at the Grand Traverse Resort & Spa.
$5,400.00

Benzie County Office of Emergency Management
Funding to purchase a fire extinguisher training system that will be used by the Office of Emergency Management, Citizens Emergency Response Team, and the 6 Benzie County Fire Departments to train their personnel.
$7,281.00

Benzie County, Northern MI Mutual Aid Dive Team
Funding for equipment for the Benzie County Deputy assigned to the Northern Michigan Mutual Aid Dive Team.
$5,767.98

Benzonia Township
Funding for Benzie Area Christian Neighbors’ food and utility assistance programs.
$15,000.00

Blair Township Emergency Services
Funding to purchase programming and Ipads that would be installed in apparatus to receive and send communications with dispatch when responding to calls.
$9,600.00

Charlevoix Township Fire Department
Funding to replace turn-out gear to be compliant with NFPA 1971 and MI-OSHA part 74 compliant PPE and to property equip our fire fighters and help protect our community and fulfill the mission of the department.
$15,000.00

City of Charlevoix
Funding for Joppa House Women's Transitional Home for homeless women and children that provide a life-skill's training/mentoring model, addressing the lack of life skills that produce homelessness and unemployment.
$10,000.00

City of Charlevoix
Funding for the Third Day Fellowship Women's Emergency Shelter to provide these resources to the homeless at no cost to help alleviate a person's immediate crisis.
$3,000.00

City of Frankfort - Frankfort City Police Department
Funding to purchase a mobile citation printer and the required software for the police department.
$1,620.00

City of Traverse City
Funding for the Traverse City Police Department for a field-based presumptive testing of suspected narcotics, precursors and cutting agents, giving the officers the property and evidence staff and the lab staff a rapid identification without direct contact with fentanyl.
$20,000.00

City of Traverse City
Funding for the Traverse City Arts Commission MOU for commissioning public art in the Clinch Park Tunnel. The art will be retrospective and culturally reflective of the woodland Indians of the Great Lakes.
$43,755.00

East Bay Charter Township Parks Commission
Funding for Mt. Holiday, which has begun a fundraising campaign to upgrade the aging groomer currently in use at the hill.
$20,261.82

Elk Rapids High School
Funding for the Band Boosters for band students to attend band camp from July 14-19, 2019.
$4,200.00

Elk Rapids High School
Funding for Project Graduation, which is an alcohol-and-drug-free event that will begin after their graduation ceremony and ends the following morning after breakfast.
$4,900.00

Forest Area Community Schools
Funding for Child Family Services (CFS) Youth Work Program to provide job training, focused on youth from the 6-county service area and Forest Area Schools.
$5,000.00

Grand Traverse County Board of Commissioners
Funding for Conservation Resource Alliance's River Care Program that supports fish habitat improvements, road crossing improvements, tree/shrub plantings and other wildlife habitat projects, canoe float trips and educational work events.
$5,561.82

Grand Traverse County Board of Commissioners
Funding for Father Fred Foundation to meet the needs of our neighbors struggling to keep utilities connected, especially through the winter months.
$10,000.00

Grand Traverse County Board of Commissioners
Funding for Goodwill Industries of Northern Michigan, which will help the Street outreach program, a program that has an immediate and relevant role in our community.
$15,000.00

Grand Traverse County Board of Commissioners
Funding for the Grand Traverse County Department of Veterans Affairs Affairs to be a one-stop-shop for all veterans Funding would assist those peacetime veterans with financial hardships. Hardships include, but not limited to, rental assistance, utility assistance, car repairs, bus tokens, and gas cards. (2) Peer Mentor Groups.
$10,000.00

Grand Traverse County Board of Commissioners
Funding for Parks & Recreation to continue making improvements surrounding the Native American Marker Tree, our community's sacred tree to further emphasize the educational and cultural aspects of a treasured, historical monument.?
$15,000.00

Grand Traverse County Board of Commissioners
Funding for Project Cherry Tree efforts of being a catalyst for change in the delivery of our veterans' earned benefits in rural northern Michigan. will continue our efforts to bring jobs, improve healthcare, and develop regional cemetery services for northern MI veterans.
$15,000.00

Grand Traverse County Board of Commissioners
Funding for Reining Liberty Ranch, which currently serves many veterans who have been diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). We are seeking to bridge a gap in services by providing our programs at no cost to veterans or their families.
$10,000.00

Grand Traverse County Board of Commissioners
Funding for Safe Haven which provides safety to children and at-risk parents of domestic violence.
$21,806.82

Grand Traverse County Board of Commissioners
Funding for TART Trails "Recycle-A-Bicycle Program" which provides homeless and economically disadvantaged individuals and families who may have an older and unreliable car, or do not even have a car, with bicycles for transportation.
$4,041.82

Grand Traverse County Board of Commissioners
Funding for Veterans Housing USA to purchase, place, and set up a modular home in Blair Township for use by Veterans.
$20,000.00

Grand Traverse County Board of Commissions
Funding for the Women's Resource Center to provide emergency shelter and advocacy/supportive services to victims of domestic and sexual violence.
$10,000.00

Leelanau County Board of Commissioners
Funding for Habitat for Humanity, Grand Traverse Region, which has set a goal of net-zero ready houses with the goal of zero energy consumption on all of the homes built.
$5,000.00

Leelanau County Board of Commissioners
Funding for Planning & Community Development to supplement the county's very popular Housing Rehabilitation Program.
$10,000.00

Leelanau County Board of Commissioners
Funding for the Sheriff's Office for a colored placard system to be installed in schools in Leelanau County. When emergency response is necessary, the school will identify the location by color-coded hallway and room which will be clearly marked by placard, allowing the emergency responder to quickly identify the location of the emergency.
$18,135.00

Leelanau County Board of Commissioners
Funding for the Solid Waste Council’s scrap tire cleanup days in 2019.
$4,261.00

Leelanau County Board of Commissioners
Funding for the Solid Waste Council funding for relocation of a recycling site.
$10,000.00

Leelanau Montessori Public School Academy
Funding to purchase outdoor play structures and create an outdoor playscape for the students at our new campus in Lake Leelanau.
$20,000.00

Leelanau Montessori Public School Academy
Funding towards a new roof for the new school campus, the Connie Binsfeld building.
$5,000.00

Leland Public Schools
Funding for the Leelanau Early Childhood Development Commission (LECDC), which since 2015 has supported their Parenting Communities Program, serving families in the Leland and Glen Lake catchment area.
$17,245.00

Melrose Township
Funding for the Antique Flywheelers Student Harvest Day.
$2,000.00

Northwestern Michigan College
Funding to continue support for the Native American students with focused support programs, student community activities, tribal communication and involvement, campus experiential activities for Native American high school students, course development, and cultural projects with the NMC Native American Student Organization.
$21,000.00

Star Township
Funding for the Community Lighthouse Lighthouse & Food Pantry, which provides food once a month for people in our county, the homeless and others, for free!
$25,000.00

Star Township
Funding for the Elders Advisory Committee, which offers emergency housing services, meal site availability and funding source for area elders.
$50,000.00

Suttons Bay Public School
Funding to continue to fund the school’s Native American Education Program.
$16,437.00

Suttons Bay Public School
Funding to provide athletic transportation for all student-athletes participating in the Suttons Bay Middle/High School winter athletic programs.
$16,923.00

Suttons Bay-Bingham Fire & Rescue Authority
Funding for the purchase of 1. a Holmatro equipment to be used for rescue, industrial and special tactics operations. 2. Combi tool both spreaders and cutters in one (Jaws of Life) are used to extricate patients. Defender rescue suits. 4.The thermal imaging camera is used for, but not limited to, search and rescue in a house or building fire, water and ice rescue, lost persons.
$28,372.84

Traverse Bay Area Intermediate School District
Funding for Child & Family Services (CFS) Youth Work Program in working with students from the TCAISD's Adult Community Experience (ACE) Program.
$15,000.00

Traverse Bay Area Intermediate School District
Funding for Michael's Place to work with regional schools in a number of capacities, all of which are critical needs. It will also allow us to provide grief education, training and supportive care to community organizations.
$30,000.00

Traverse Bay Area Intermediate School District
Funding for Junior Achievement program kits contain the volunteer/teacher guides (curriculum) and the materials for a series of hands-on activities, which cement the learning in students.
$5,000.00

Traverse Bay Area Intermediate School District
Funding for the Great Lakes Children's Museum (GTCM) to strengthen the scope and depth of the Museum's educational quality.
$10,000.00

Traverse Bay Intermediate School District
Funding for the Farm to School program to expand implementation of school-based efforts during the 2017-2018 school year. This project leverages diverse community partnerships to provide students with experiential health and nutrition activities designed to help students develop lifelong healthy habits.
$10,000.00

The City of Traverse City and Charter Township of Garfield Recreational Authority
Funding to be invested in the Clean Energy infrastructure at Historic Barns Park, primarily, the installation of off-grid, solar-powered pathway lighting. SEEDS will be responsible for this project's implementation.
$20,000.00

The City of Traverse City Police Department
Funding to outfit and fund crowd control gear for Traverse City Police Department Police Officers.
$16,457.82

Traverse City Area Public Schools
Funding for FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics program, which is dedicated to inspiring an appreciation of science and technology in young people. The FIRST Robotics Competition challenges high school students working with professional mentors to design and build a robot to compete in competitions that measure effectiveness of each robot, the power of collaboration, and the determination of students. TC Central High School will host the 11th Annual TC FIRST Robotics District Competition on April 4-6, 2019.
$5,000.00

Traverse City Area Public Schools
Funding for LEAP, also known as the Learning, Enrichment, and Athletic Program, which continues to provide a wide variety of extracurricular activities for students beyond the school day in an effort to support the successful academic achievement for all students.
$10,000.00

Traverse City Area Public Schools
Funding for the Students in Transition Empowerment Program (STEP), which is a free program administered by TCAPS that ensures the educational rights of families and youth who lack fixed, regular, and adequate housing as required by McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. The program currently serves more than 500 homeless students and families in residential transition each year due to foreclosure, eviction, loss of income, natural disaster, or similar reasons.
$20,000.00

Village of Elk Rapids Police Department
Funding to purchase five (5) Pro-Vision USA body cameras; five (5) Compact Magnetic Mounts for cameras; and purchase one (1) stand-alone computer for camera downloads.
$4,704.00

Village of Lake Ann
Funding for feasibility studies on redesigning the East CR 610 (Maple) and West CR 610 (Maple) entrances into the village including the interface on the west end where CR610 intersects with Reynolds Rd. North at the village limits.
$7,000.00

Whitewater Township
Funding for the Whitewater Township Fire Department for a new set of vehicle extrication equipment.
$27,600.00

Whitewater Township
Funding for renovation of shower rooms (3 regular, 1 ADA) which is planned for the bathhouse at Whitewater Township Park campground facility.
$7,500.00