Restoration Magazine

Centers for Disease Control: Rape Prevention & Education Funding Finally Makes Its Way to Tribal Coalitions

In 2001, the Minnesota Indian Women’s Sexual Assault Coalition (MIWSAC) received funding from the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), becoming the first Tribal Coalition to focus specifically on sexual assault. However, it wasn’t until 2023 that we received funding through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Rape Prevention & Education (RPE) Program. In its first year, we were only one of two Tribal Coalitions that applied for and received funding.

MIWSAC has been doing sexual violence prevention work since our inception, primarily through foundation grants. Returning to our cultural knowledge and practices, the very source of our wholeness has always been our strategy. From taking youth into the woods to pick berries or harvest birch bark to make dishes to standing behind them on the rotunda stage at the Minnesota State Capitol, wearing our red, purple, and teal Solidarity Shawls, holding sacred space for them to amplify their voices is our way. MIWSAC’s free 40-Hour Sexual Assault Advocacy Curriculum addresses the root causes of sexual violence, identifies our history, and recalls our herstory of political organizing and healing through activism. It includes grooming tactics and red flags to identify potential child sexual abuse and spiritual abuse. Each module concludes with opportunities for systemic, institutional, and social change intended to prevent sexual violence.

We’ve convened three men’s summits, where 427 multi-generational Native men gathered to deepen culturally-meaningful sexual violence prevention efforts. We’ve been piloting a Native Men & Boys Sexual Violence Prevention Toolkit, written by Native menfolk for Native menfolk, designed to be available for free and adaptable for other Tribal communities.

This part of our work has been minimally funded, so MIWSAC was thrilled to learn about the RPE Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). It was only because of our history of collaborative work with the Alliance of Tribal Coalitions to End Violence (ATCEV) and the Minnesota Department of Health that we even learned of the opportunity. The application process was clunky and unfamiliar. The language clearly separated state coalitions from Tribal Coalitions. The heavy focus on data collection made us nervous.

Our resistance to collecting even more data for funders, on the backs of survivors and our Tribal communities, ensured we would continue to work to Indigenize our data collection and instead tell our stories. Once funded, we were first required to assess our capacity to do sexual violence prevention work at all. We did this through focus groups, listening sessions, surveys with staff, coalition membership, our Circle Keepers (board of directors), and the community.

While this data suggested more work could be done around the distinction between intervention and prevention, it was clear that our organizations and our community know what we need and are capable of. It is important for funders to continue to hear us and build capacity with us, but it is equally important to trust us.

Only two Tribal Coalitions applied for the RPE grant in 2023 and only nine received funding in 2024. What can the CDC and other funders do to better extend their resources to all Tribal Coalitions that implement intersectional and culturally meaningful prevention work in our Tribal communities?

The total project funding for the current grant for state coalitions is $26,676,000, with a minimum and maximum budget of $135,000 per year. For Tribal Coalitions, the total is $3,600,000, with only nine Tribal Sexual Assault Coalitions expected to be funded with a maximum of $90,000 per year. Further, the Tribal NOFO should be as streamlined as the State NOFO. Clear instructions would alleviate any misunderstandings or errors in the application process.

Additionally, once funded, we found that reverse site visits were scheduled, then the Tribal Coalitions were informed that we would be having visits separate from the state coalitions. While it is important to have our own space, it is also essential to build relationships and strategize with the state coalitions that may also serve Native folks. Suggestions for improvement:

• Provide equity in the amount funded across all Coalitions regardless of state or Tribal status.
• Facilitate shared virtual spaces and physical gatherings for state and Tribal Coalitions. • Create consistent and ongoing communication.
• Remain flexible with approaches to how we do the work and collect the data.
• Provide technical assistance with navigating the NOFO application process and online portals.
• Secure ample funding to support truly collaborative efforts.

There is extraordinary expertise and skill among our Tribal Coalitions across the country. We center the voices of those most impacted and know what works in our communities. Funders and policymakers can best support our communities and programs through financial investments and policy change. Come out and get to know our communities and learn not only about our deficits but about our abundant cultural strengths and resources. We welcome your allyship and support.

If you are interested in collaborating on sexual violence prevention efforts, please contact MIWSAC at www.miwsac.org or contact Cristine Davidson (prevention and education) directly at cdavidson@miwsac.org.