Jena Band Of Choctaw Indians

Jena Band Of Choctaw Indians, a federally recognized tribal government based in Trout, Louisiana, acts as a federal grant recipient delivering forest management and restoration, environmental capacity building, energy development planning, historic preservation, public health, and broadband infrastructure services across its three-parish service area in central Louisiana and, under cooperative agreements, to federal lands in Texas. The tribe operates exclusively as a grant recipient (91% of awards are prime grants); it does not hold federal contracts or seat on government-wide contract vehicles.

The tribe's grant portfolio spans twelve distinct federal agencies, with primary concentration among interior and health entities. The Department of Interior's National Park Service (13 awards combined) and Bureau of Indian Affairs (7 awards) lead by volume, together representing 27% of total awards, while the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Public and Indian Housing Office (9 awards) anchors housing-related work. The Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Agriculture, Department of Energy, National Institutes of Health, and Institute of Museum and Library Services round out the active customer set. Combined potential value across all 75 awards (prime and sub) totals $20.4 million obligated over the past two decades, with recent activity stable at five to six awards per year from 2023 through 2025.

Core capabilities include forest restoration and management: a $600 thousand cooperative agreement with the Department of Agriculture Forest Service (awarded March 2026) funds marking and cruising timber under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Restoration/Revegetation program (CFDA 10.717) through March 2036, and a $705.9 thousand Good Neighbor Authority agreement (CFDA 10.691) covering forest health treatments and hazardous fuels reduction in Texas through August 2028. Environmental program administration: a $295 thousand EPA Region 6 project grant (October 2024 through September 2027) builds tribal capacity for environmental compliance, solid waste management, drinking water system development, and hazardous substance response. Tribal health services: a $140 thousand Department of Interior Bureau of Indian Affairs grant (August 2024 through August 2026) funds feasibility analysis for community-scale solar-plus-storage energy solutions; concurrent Special Diabetes Project for Indians cooperative agreement work (since 1998, most recently renewed January 2023) delivers diabetes education and prevention to tribal members. Historic preservation: multiple annual formula grants from the National Park Service (October 2022 onward, most recently October 2024) support Tribal Historic Preservation Office activities under the National Historic Preservation Act. Broadband and COVID-19 recovery: a Department of Treasury Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund grant (May 2023 through December 2026) supports broadband infrastructure deployment at speeds meeting or exceeding 100 Mbps symmetrical service. Cultural infrastructure: a $89 thousand Institute of Museum and Library Services project grant (July 2024 through April 2027) funds strategic planning for a tribal cultural center and museum. Integrated primary and mental health: a Department of Health and Human Services project grant (April 2022 through March 2027) supports the Choctaw Health and Mental Partnership (CHAMP) to integrate behavioral health and physical health services for tribal members.

The tribe acts as a sub-recipient on seven awards, primarily domestic violence services, crime victim support, and chronic disease prevention routed through prime grantees including the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Criminal Justice, United South & Eastern Tribes Inc., and The Institute for Indian Development Inc. Six awards reach ultimate completion inside the next twenty-four months, representing potential recompete opportunity. The tribe does not maintain subcontractor relationships; it operates as a sovereign tribal government administering federal grants on behalf of its approximately 438 members across Grant, Rapides, and LaSalle parishes in Louisiana.