The thirteen moons program is the tribal college extension program whose mission and goals are to increase awareness of natural resources, promote regional food sovereignty, provide new…

Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College received a $200,000 Project Grant awarded on September 15, 2025, through the National Institute of Food and Agriculture's Tribal Colleges Extension Program (CFDA 10.517) to develop the Learning Space Special Emphasis Project. Over the two-year performance period (through September 14, 2027), this initiative will transform the existing Bimaaji'idiwin research and demonstration space into a culturally grounded agricultural learning environment for K-12 students at the Ojibwe School and Fond du Lac Reservation community. The project will deliver tangible outputs including low-maintenance, student-friendly garden infrastructure; youth-appropriate gardening tools and protective equipment; Ojibwemowin (Ojibwe language) signage and cultural teachings integrated throughout the space; and a seasonal teacher/staff position to support ongoing operations and instruction.

The program will provide professional development and mentorship to Ojibwe School faculty and staff through the FDLTCC Agriculture Outreach Coordinator, ensuring educators possess the knowledge and best practices necessary to effectively utilize the learning space and sustain it beyond the grant period. By positioning trained school staff as liaisons between classroom needs and garden operations, the project establishes institutional capacity for long-term sustainability while advancing the Thirteen Moons Program's broader goals of increasing natural resource awareness, promoting regional food sovereignty, and strengthening youth connection to Anishinaabe cultural practices.

The thirteen moons program is the tribal college extension program whose mission and goals are to increase awareness of natural resources, promote regional food sovereignty, provide new opportunities for social interaction, increase knowledge of tools that can increase community resiliency, and increase knowledge of the ojibwe culture. The learning space special emphasis project's creation of an agricultural learning space that is grounded in anishinaabe culture and encourages youth connection with food sovereignty meets the goals of the tribal extension program. Our audience are the youth, teachers, and staff of the ojibwe school and fond DU LAC reservation. Our proposed two-year project would bring together the fdltcc agriculture outreach coordinator, fond DU LAC ojibwe school teachers, and staff to transform the current bimaaji'idiwin research and demonstration space into an area geared to k-12 student learning. This will include making the space low maintenance and KID friendly, setting up the space for the growing priorities of the ojibwe school, buying youth gardening tools, youth protective gear, gardening supplies, and ojibwemowin signage and teachings throughout the space. The garden transformation project will be planned and implemented in partnership with fond DU LAC ojibwe school and will support a seasonal teacher/ staff position. The agricultural outreach coordinator will provide professional development and mentorship to ojibwe school faculty/staff to make sure they are ready to use the learning space using best growing practices. These trained ojibwe school faculty / staff will act as liaisons between the needs of the teachers, classrooms, and garden improvements. This project will put in the place practices that will ensure the continued use of the learning space by the ojibwe school and sustainability of this garden well beyond the two years of this grant project.