Lac DU Flambeau Band Of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians

Lac DU Flambeau Band Of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians, doing business as Lac DU Flambeau Tribal Council, is a federally recognized Indian tribe headquartered in Lac Du Flambeau, Wisconsin, that receives direct federal grant funding across sixty-five distinct agencies to operate tribal government programs, deliver community services, and fund infrastructure and economic development on the Lac du Flambeau Reservation. The tribe operates exclusively as a prime grant recipient; it holds no federal contracts and does not bid on procurement vehicles. The tribe also acts as a sub-recipient on pass-through awards from the State of Wisconsin and other state entities flowing federal funds for child care, health services, nutrition assistance, and family services programs.

The tribe's federal footprint is dominated by direct grants to tribal governments under Native American set-asides and tribal-specific federal programs. The Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families anchors the award portfolio with 68 awards funding child care and development block grants, child welfare social services, family assistance, and child support enforcement across multiple fiscal years. The Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service has awarded 40 grants for the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (CFDA 10.567), through which the tribe certifies household eligibility and distributes USDA-purchased foods. The Department of the Interior Bureau of Indian Affairs and Indian Education has issued 35 awards, and the Environmental Protection Agency has awarded 26 grants supporting brownfields response programs, water quality monitoring, nutrient reduction strategies, and environmental capacity building. The top award categories are Social—Direct Aid To Tribal Governments (35 awards) and Medical—Managed Healthcare (13 awards).

Representative prime grant work spans infrastructure, economic development, transit, environmental response, public safety, elder services, and library operations. A $2,737,882 Federal Transit Administration Formula Grant (CFDA 20.509, awarded July 27, 2026, through December 31, 2027) funds design and construction of a new transit administrative building addition at the existing transit garage in Lac Du Flambeau and replacement of two buses. A $2,638,075 Economic Development Administration Investment for Public Works grant (CFDA 11.300, awarded September 8, 2023, through July 8, 2027) supports construction of a molding plant facility at the Lac Du Flambeau Industrial Park. The tribe received $500,000 from the EPA under the Non-State Member Support for the Gulf Hypoxia Action Plan (CFDA 66.487, awarded January 1, 2026, through January 1, 2030) to develop and update nutrient reduction strategies for water resource management. A $525,000 Department of Justice Transitional Housing Assistance grant (CFDA 16.736, awarded October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2028) funds victim-centered transitional housing and support services for survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking, with sub-recipients including Peter Christensen Health Center and the Lac Du Flambeau Family Resource Center. Library services grants from the Institute of Museum and Library Services support the Ben Guthrie Lac du Flambeau Public Library with programming in Ojibwe language immersion, traditional food preparation, and community health initiatives. A $900,000 Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Assistance Treatment Court Discretionary Grant (CFDA 16.585, awarded October 1, 2022, through September 30, 2027) funds the Zaagii Bagaa Healing to Wellness Court, providing culturally-appropriate treatment programs as an alternative to incarceration for non-violent offenders with substance use and mental health disorders.

Activity peaked in 2024 with seventy-one awards, with 2025 and 2026 showing lower counts (fifty and twenty-one awards respectively, with the latter reflecting the recent award date snapshot). Twenty-two awards have ultimate completion dates in the next twenty-four months, representing recompete or renewal exposure. The tribe also holds a tribally owned subsidiary, Simpson Electric Company, Inc., a manufacturer of goods certified as a minority-owned and small disadvantaged business. Sub-award activity totals 120 awards (20% of portfolio), primarily flowing through Wisconsin state agencies, particularly the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (for school nutrition programs: NSLP and CACFP), Wisconsin Department of Health Services (for AODA treatment, mental health block grants, and Medicaid-related services), Wisconsin Department of Children and Families (for family services and child care contracts), and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (for wild rice restoration). The tribe's grant profile reflects a tribal government entity that operates on direct federal funding and state pass-through awards rather than competitive contracting, with program focus on child welfare, nutrition assistance, environmental stewardship, public health, and economic development serving reservation residents and tribal membership.