Dena Nena Henash

Dena Nena Henash, doing business as Tanana Chiefs Conference (TCC), is a tribally owned, Alaska Native non-profit corporation and recipient of federal grants spanning health, behavioral health, infrastructure, energy resilience, transportation, and community services across interior Alaska. TCC operates as a consortium of 37 federally recognized tribes headquartered in Fairbanks, serving approximately 16,000 Alaska Natives across 235,000 square miles encompassing 42 interior villages and six subregions. The organization competes in full and open federal grant competitions without set-aside designations; recent activity shows 90% prime recipient awards and 10% sub-recipient work, with strong growth from 31 awards in 2022 to 66 in 2024, and 25 awards reaching completion inside the next twenty-four months.

TCC's federal contract footprint centers on wildland fire management and logistical support. The organization holds a $7.9 million Indefinite Delivery Contract with the Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management, issued August 2021 through September 2025, for Alaska Type 2 Contract Crew services. Recent delivery orders include a $495,000 time-and-materials award in May 2025 for AK2CC 2025 assignment task order services across Fairbanks, Fort Wainwright, Nulato, and Tanana; a $1.043 million firm fixed-price order in January 2025 for TCC PARADISE - L48 CHALK services; and a $19,661 purchase order from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Region 7 in September 2024 for the AK-Fairbanks FWO-AK-NAFWFO Andreafsky project. The BLM IDC has generated over $2 million in cumulative delivery orders.

TCC's grant footprint is substantial and diversified, anchored by three federal agencies that together account for 51% of recent awards by count. The Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Community Living leads with 229 awards across formula grants for Older Americans Act Title VI programs (nutrition services, caregiver support), OAA Title VI Part A grants for Native Americans, and the Mineral Impacted Tribes Redistribution (MITR) MIPPA grants to Title VI Native Americans. The Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families has placed 92 awards for Child Welfare Social Services, Promoting Safe and Stable Families, and Early Intervention/Infant Learning programs. The Department of Agriculture Rural Utilities Service has awarded 46 grants totaling significant combined potential value, including a $35 million ReConnect Program 100% grant (May 2026, completion May 2028) for broadband deployment and retail services, a $30.323 million Rural eConnectivity Pilot Program award (May 2026, completion May 2028) for fiber optic and networking infrastructure, and a $2.8 million Assistance to High Energy Cost Rural Communities grant (October 2024, completion October 2026) for energy generation, transmission, and renewable energy systems.

TCC's behavioral health and youth services grants reflect regional need. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Center for Mental Health Services awarded $735,000 on September 30, 2026, under the Center for Mental Health Services Projects of Regional and National Significance program (CFDA 93.532) for the five-year Strength in the Circle Project, a Garrett Lee Smith Tribal Youth Suicide Prevention and Early Intervention Initiative serving 15 rural Alaska Native communities. SAMHSA Center for Mental Health Services also funded $997,063 in September 2026 for the Building Pathways Children's System of Care (CFDA 93.104) to expand coordinated behavioral health services for ages 0-21 across three interior Alaska sub-regions through September 2030. The Department of Health and Human Services Indian Health Service awarded $150,000 in January 2026 (CFDA 93.284) for the Tradition and Travel: A River Safety Program to reduce drowning deaths through water safety training and personal flotation device access across 41 Alaska Native villages.

Federal transportation, environmental, and climate funding includes $361,603 and $155,464 from the Federal Highway Administration's Tribal Transportation Program (CFDA 20.289) in December 2025 for FY 2026 transportation funding; a $1.451 million EPA Diesel Emissions Reduction Act award (CFDA 66.039) in July 2024 to replace generators at the Shageluk Community Powerplant; and a cooperative agreement from the Department of Energy in August 2024 for high-penetration solar PV and battery storage systems across eight remote tribal communities, with projected annual net income of $150,000 to support tribal governments and future renewable projects. The Environmental Protection Agency Region 10 awarded Inflation Reduction Act funding in July 2023 for climate mitigation planning and GHG inventory development across the TCC's 37 member tribes.

Justice, victim services, and early childhood programs include a $100,000 planning grant from the Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Assistance in October 2025 (CFDA 16.731) for the Tribal Youth Justice and Development Program addressing juvenile delinquency following the 2020 closure of the Fairbanks Youth Court; Office on Violence Against Women funding for the Tribal Protective Services program addressing domestic violence, sexual assault, and trafficking for Alaska Native women; and Head Start awards under the Office of Head Start for American Indian and Alaska Native Head Start and Early Head Start programs. The National Park Service awarded a cooperative agreement in September 2024 to coordinate on LIDAR data acquisition and stream engineering design for the Coal Creek restoration project, incorporating tribal input and developing UAS technical capacity.

TCC subcontracts with state agencies including the State of Alaska Department of Health on Child and Adult Care Food Program meals and cash-in-lieu awards, Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Use Program funding, and Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC); the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development on Child and Adult Care Food Program and School Breakfast Program awards; and the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium on colorectal cancer screening initiatives and traditional practices support for survivors of sexual assault. Multiple sub-awards flow through the Denali Commission, Alaska Energy Authority, and Alaska Housing Finance Corporation for infrastructure, energy, and supportive housing services. The organization's grant portfolio reflects deep regional expertise in rural Alaska Native community needs—health disparities, energy burden, broadband access, transportation, environmental health, and behavioral health services in remote, road-inaccessible villages.