RSS

Northland receives Otto Bremer Foundation grant to launch Indigenous Culture Center

August 17, 2011

The Otto Bremer Foundation recently approved a $161,383 grant to Northland College for the development of partnerships and community programs with local and regional Native peoples through the establishment of a new Indigenous Culture Center and a Council on Indigenous Relations. Programs provided through the center will encourage and support Native American students and families seeking further education, including four-year degrees. Additionally, the center will enhance cultural exchanges and serve as a venue for conversations on emerging issues that face the college, tribal, and regional communities in the Chequamegon Bay area. The Council will serve to advise the college president on how Northland can build on its historic efforts to contribute to the lives of the Native people of the region.

"We at Northland possess a rich history of partnership with local tribes, and are committed even more at this time to intently seek benefits for all of our regional children, families and communities," says Michael A. Miller, Northland College President. "In the Chequamegon Bay region, we have a common desire to be good neighbors and partners and now with the generous support of the Otto Bremer Foundation, the Indigenous Culture Center will be a valuable new resource for dialogue, understanding and united effort."

Northland College will soon commence a national search for a director of the center. A Council on Indigenous Relations comprised of campus and community members will also be formed. Representatives of the Red Cliff, Bad River and Lac Courte Oreilles Bands of Lake Superior Chippewa will be invited to serve on the council.

Some program ideas being considered for the center include instruction in Native American arts, language and an elder's program. The center may also look to provide academic support and college access programs for adolescents and teens in the region, as well as a recruitment and retention plan specific to Native American students attending Northland.

"We want to develop a sustainable model for the center to ensure that students and area communities will benefit from such programs for years to come," Miller says.

The Otto Bremer Foundation will distribute grant money to fund the new program over the course of the next two years beginning in September. Northland College is providing substantial financial commitment in the form of matching funds, and has committed to financially supporting these commitments in the long term. Other sources of revenue will be sought from foundations, individuals and donors to support the center and its program offerings.

Created in 1944, the Otto Bremer Foundation assists people in achieving full economic, civic and social participation in and for the betterment of their communities. This mission is based on the intent of founder Otto Bremer. His vision and longstanding commitment to communities during and after the Great Depression are carried forward today through the Foundation's work in the places that are homes and neighbors to Bremer banks. The Foundation strives to help build healthy, vibrant communities-communities where basic needs are met, mutual regard is prized and opportunities for economic, civic and social participation are within everyone's reach.

The Otto Bremer Foundation owns 92 percent of Bremer Bank, and receives an equivalent share of the bank profits that are paid out as dividends. This means that a large portion of bank profit is invested back in local communities through grants and program‐related investments.