The state of California has awarded almost $20 million in grants to 18 Native American tribes in California to support their efforts addressing the Missing and Murdered Indigenous People, or MMIP, crisis.

The California Board of State and Community Corrections, or BSCC, approved a second round of awards under the MMIP Grant Program, established in the 2022 budget to provide competitive grants to California tribal nations.

The grant cycle is from Aug. 1, 2024, to June 1, 2028.

Lake County tribes including Robinson Rancheria and Scotts Valley are among the grantees.

Grants focus on work such as developing culturally-based prevention strategies, strengthening responses to human trafficking, providing culturally appropriate support services to affected families and their communities, and improving cooperation and communication on jurisdictional issues between state, local, federal, and tribal law enforcement agencies.

“Too many Native people, many of them women and girls, are missing with no answer. Behind each Missing and Murdered Indigenous Person case is a family and community grieving a loved one. These grants will support tribal governments in helping those families find peace — and in stemming this tragic epidemic,” said Gov. Gavin Newsom.

The MMIP crisis is a worldwide issue, recognized in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

In the United States alone, 84% of Native women and 82% of Native men will experience violence in their lifetimes.

MMIP cases are seven times less likely to be solved than any other group, and Native women are victims of murder at rates more than ten times the national average.

California has worked closely with tribes across the state to develop strategies to support tribal work and investigations to solve and prevent these cases.

The work funded by these grants includes the following projects.

Cahuilla Band of Indians (in collaboration with the Santa Rosa Band of Cahuilla Indians, Los Coyotes Band of Cahuilla and Cupeno Indians): $999,998
The Cahuilla Consortium Victim Advocacy Program plans to build a "Hub" website that would warehouse awareness, prevention, and direct service information for all tribes in California, focused by region — Northern, Central and Southern. The information would be arranged and accessible to key audiences, tribal members, tribal service providers, tribal leadership, non-tribal service providers, both tribal and non-tribal law enforcement agencies. Additionally, the CCVAP will provide direct emergency services to those victimized by crimes that connect to the MMIP epidemic, with support provided to vulnerable Native survivors, their families and communities.

Dry Creek Rancheria Band of Pomo Indians: $1,000,000
The Dry Creek Rancheria Band of Pomo Indians will implement two initiatives. 1) Protecting the Sacred, through which the tribe will a) Educate schools, law enforcement, tribal systems on the signs of human trafficking, exploitation, and abuse; b) Convene an Indigenous Regional MMIP Coalition; c) Conduct a culturally based outreach and awareness campaign; and d) Promote coordination between Emergency Responders (police, firefighters, EMT, child welfare, health systems) to address human trafficking, exploitation, and violence towards indigenous people. 2) Healing Our Communities, through which the tribe will provide: a) Behavioral health and crisis interventions; b) Community healing activities; c) Traditional healing services; and d) Culturally centered interventions.

Greenville Rancheria: $982,870
Greenville Rancheria will take a preventative and proactive approach to ensuring youth, family and individuals' well-being in our communities along the Northern California I-5 corridor and in rural remote areas through: 1) Prevention, awareness, education, and events for tribal communities we serve; 2) Developing and producing digital mapping, and story maps with the collaboration of experts, to locate clusters of areas where our MMIP persons were last seen or were found; and 3) Assisting victim families with the most immediate needs of private investigator funds, counseling or as a liaison between law enforcement, courts processes and seeking help from culturally sensitive and familiar outreach.

Hoopa Valley Tribe: $1,000,000
With the support of BSCC funding, the Hoopa Tribal Education Association will strengthen internal capacity to disrupt systems of violence in the Hoopa community by promoting cultural engagement opportunities, trauma-informed practices, and by supporting access to education. The proposed project will hire a full-time cultural coordinator, support trauma-informed practices by providing opportunities for community training and wellness and support equal access to education for youth. By building protective factors through culture, education, and furthering ourselves as a trauma-informed community we hope to reduce the individual risk factors that perpetuate violence.

Ione Band of Miwok Indians (in collaboration with Wilton Rancheria): $1,999,675
Find My Relations Project is dedicated to addressing the critical issue of organizing a dedicated task force exclusively dedicated to finding missing and murdered indigenous people. With a mission rooted in compassion and justice, we aim to bring closure to affected families, find those who are lost, and significantly raise awareness about this pressing issue. Our multifaceted approach includes establishing a specialized and highly trained Native tactical task force, launching comprehensive awareness and education campaigns, and providing direct support to families and communities in need.

Jamul Indian Village of California (in collaboration with the Manzanita Band, San Pasqual Band, and Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay): $1,999,625
Our proposal focuses on combating human trafficking in San Diego Indigenous communities through awareness, training, and law enforcement collaboration. It includes initiatives such as hosting a Summit, expanding the Acorns to Oaks program for young Indigenous girls, and launching public service announcements and billboard campaigns. Training programs will be enhanced with virtual reality components, and a tribal officer will be assigned to the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force to promote coordination between tribal police and their non-tribal counterparts. This comprehensive approach aims to create a safer community and combat human trafficking effectively.

Karuk Tribe: $1,000,000
The Karuk Tribe requires a specialist to create and execute a Tribal Community Response Plan for MMIP cases, which outlines the roles, protocols, and resources for handling incidents and is tested and updated regularly. The specialist will also raise awareness, protect youth and vulnerable groups, and directly support victims and families.

Pala Band of Mission Indians: $1,000,000
The Pala Band of Mission Indians (PBMI), a Federally Recognized Tribe, submits this MMIP grant proposal to enhance efforts to provide awareness and preventative measures with the MMIP crisis affecting our tribal communities. PBMI intends to implement systemic change providing culturally based prevention strategies, strengthening responses to human trafficking, improving cooperation and communication on jurisdictional issues between state, local, federal and tribal law enforcement. PBMI intends to collaborate collectively with other Tribes in their efforts to bring awareness for all California’s MMIP regardless of geographical area.

Pechanga Band of Indians: $980,035
This program is a multi-disciplinary approach to enhance the Pechanga Tribal Rangers (PTR) and Pechanga Child and Family Services (PCFS) departments’ capacity to effectively respond to runaway juvenile and missing persons incidents and strengthen juvenile runaways and potential victims of human trafficking. Further, it will educate and engage our tribal community to work together to protect our vulnerable and at-risk members. PTR will hire a trained law enforcement investigator/MMIP and Human Trafficking Coordinator. PCFS will hire a Master’s level Social Worker with a comprehensive background in Commercial Sexual Exploitation.

Picayune Rancheria of the Chukchansi Indians: $967,845
The Picayune Rancheria is dedicated to addressing the issue of domestic violence in our community. Our Tribe recognizes that domestic violence cases are high and resources available in our area are limited to address these cases. To address this urgent need, we intend to use the MMIP grant to establish a program that will provide essential MMIP services to our community. Our program will offer a range of services, including crisis intervention, counseling, legal assistance, and case management. With the support of the MMIP grant, we will be able to provide the necessary resources and support to help victims find safety, healing, and justice.

Pinoleville Pomo Nation (in collaboration with the Robinson Rancheria, Kashia Band of Pomo Indians, and Redwood Valley Rancheria): $1,999,661
The proposed collaborative project is designed to increase awareness on MMIP issues to 500 people in Tribal and non-Tribal communities; provide mental health services, community healing and wrap-around services focusing on at-risk youth (30 per year) and promoting jurisdictional cooperation in Lake, Mendocino and Sonoma County. The project collaborates with Potter Valley Tribe and Redwood Valley Rancheria and partners with Ukiah Unified School District, Mendocino College, Consolidated Tribal Health Project and New Life Clinic. The project will implement three major goals to address critical challenges faced by the Native American youth
in response to MMIP.

Pit River Tribe: $1,000,000
The Pit River Tribe will develop MMIP projects led by the Tribal Victim Witness department. The MMIP project will include culturally based support and resources for family members that have had their loved one go missing. The project will develop and provide training such as search and rescue teams, a formal process in feather alert activation, and coordination with law enforcement. With an emphasis on culturally based practices that address the intersections of the MMIP crisis within the four county regions of the ancestral boundary area of Pit River, of which extends 3.5 million acres. This includes the Shasta, Modoc, Lassen and Siskiyou Counties.

Round River Indian Tribe: $750,571
The Round River Indian Tribe will build a MMIP system of response that is based on the Tribe's unique needs as a rural and remote community. The tribe will utilize a multistrategy approach that includes prevention, intervention, and response. The intent of the proposed project is to respond to urgent needs to prevent factors that contribute to MMIP. The Tribe will hire two full-time staff to develop the MMIP Prevention and Intervention/Response Program components.

San Pasqual Band of Missions Indians: $926,136
The proposed project is designed to help the San Pasqual community to develop and implement evidence and culturally informed prevention and outreach strategies and strengthen responses to issues related to MMIP. Culturally based prevention strategies include activities that help to restore youth and adult connections to traditional knowledge, language learning, and cultural awareness aim to improve cultural identities, wellness and self-esteem. Community engagement workshops and advocacy/awareness campaigns aim to improve knowledge and understanding to prevent victimization, reduce violent crime and improve community involvement in safety concerns.

Santa Rosa Rancheria Tachi Yokut Tribe: $981,173
The Santa Rosa Rancheria Tachi Yokut Tribe will use BSCC funding to establish a comprehensive program to address a critical gap in MMIP awareness, prevention, support, and healing to human trafficking victims, survivors, and families on the Tribal reservation. The Tribal Public Safety and Social Service Departments will train staff on how to recognize warning signs of human trafficking and learn to engage, assist, and provide services for human trafficking. The Tribe and both departments shall offer enhanced trainings and programs in several categories of MMIP.

Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians: $498,690
The Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians will create a MMIP awareness and protection program that utilizes wrap-around program service concepts in a culturally informed manner. Services will include prevention, intervention and protection for Tribal members that are the most vulnerable and at risk of MMIP.

Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians: $500,000
The Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians’ initiative to establish a tiny homes village for the unhoused, along with a new grant database, aligns with the MMIP Grant Program, addressing homelessness and promoting cultural resilience. The village provides a culturally sensitive and safe living environment for the tribe's most vulnerable members, while the grants database enhances coordination and secures future funding. These efforts contribute to addressing MMIP by fostering community support and aiding at-risk or homeless tribal members. If awarded, 70 percent of funds will support services for the village, with 30 percent allocated to implement a sophisticated cloud based tribal grants database.

Wilton Rancheria: $991,323
Wilton Rancheria will use BSCC funding over the 46-month grant period to establish culturally appropriate trainings to local law enforcement agencies, uphold the current MOU with Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, create our Tribal Law Enforcement code, and initiate the process of developing a Tribal Law Enforcement Department. The gap Wilton Rancheria intends to address consists of strengthening the public trust with local tribal communities with policing agencies, and to prevent MMIP and human trafficking in Sacramento County.