Indian Education National Activities (State Tribal Education Partnership (STEP) and Native American Language (NAL)

The objectives of the State Tribal Education Partnership (STEP) program (CFDA 84.415A) are to (a) promote Tribal self-determination in education; (b) improve the academic achievement of Indian children and youth; and (c) promote the coordination and collaboration of Tribal educational agencies (TEAs) with State educational agencies (SEAs) and local educational agencies (LEAs) to meet the unique educational and culturally related academic needs of Indian students.

The objectives of the Native American Language (NAL) program (CFDA 84.415B) are to (a) to establish a grant program to support schools that use Native American and Alaska Native languages as the primary language of instruction; (b) to maintain, protect, and promote the rights and freedom of Native Americans and Alaska Natives to use, practice, maintain, and revitalize their languages, as envisioned in the Native American Languages Act (25 U.S.C. 2901 et seq.); and (c) to support the Nation’s First Peoples’ efforts to maintain and revitalize their languages and cultures, and to improve educational opportunities and student outcomes within Native American and Alaska Native communities.

National Activities funds also support, through contracts, the National Indian Education Study, technical assistance to grantees, peer review of new grant awards, and logistical support activities, including tribal consultations and listening sessions. The objective of the Native American Language Resource Centers program (CFDA 84.415C) is to support establishing, strengthening, and operating one or more Native American language resource centers.

STEP: Tribal Educational Agencies (TEAs), including a consortium of TEAs. An Indian Tribe that receives funds from the BIE under section 1140 of the Education Amendments of 1978 (25 U.S.C. 2020) is not eligible to receive funds under this program.

NAL: The following entities, either alone or in a consortium, that have a plan to develop and maintain, or to improve and expand, programs that support the entity’s use of a Native American or Alaska Native language as the primary language of instruction in one or more elementary or secondary schools (or both) are eligible under this program:
(a) An Indian Tribe.
(b) A Tribal College or University (TCU).
(c) A Tribal education agency.
(d) An LEA, including a public charter school that is an LEA under State law.
(e) A school operated by the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE).
(f) An Alaska Native Regional Corporation (as described in section 3(g) of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1602(g))).
(g) A private, Tribal, or Alaska Native nonprofit organization.
(h) A non-Tribal for-profit organization.

TEAs, SEAs, LEAs, Indian students, and teachers will benefit.

This program is eligible for coverage under E.O. 12372, "Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs." An applicant should consult the office or official designated as the single point of contact in his or her State for more information on the process the State requires to be followed in applying for assistance, if the State has selected the program for review. By the due date, eligible applicants must submit to the U.S. Department of Education a complete application that (1) addresses statutorily required information, absolute and competitive priorities (as applicable), and the selection criteria, and (2) includes all required assurances and signatures. Contact the program office for additional information. However, federally-recognized Tribes are not subject to intergovernmental review requirements.

Applications must be prepared and submitted in accordance with applicable program announcements.

Applications undergo peer review with the final decision on award approval and funding made by the Secretary.

If an applicant is successful, the Department of Education will notify the applicant's U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators and will send the successful applicant a Grant Award Notification (GAN).

The time of approval is expected to be approximately 2 months following the deadline for applications.