Native Village Of Chenega

Native Village Of Chenega, a federally recognized Alaska Native tribe based in Anchorage, Alaska, receives federal grants as the prime recipient to fund infrastructure, cultural preservation, renewable energy, broadband connectivity, and community capacity-building projects across Alaska. The tribe operates exclusively as a grant recipient (100% of recent awards); it does not hold federal contracts, IDVs, or subcontracts.

The tribe's federal grant footprint spans sixteen distinct agencies and reflects a strategic focus on community resilience and cultural stewardship in a remote, geographically isolated setting. Top funding sources by award count are the Denali Commission (9 awards), the Institute of Museum and Library Services (3 awards), the Environmental Protection Agency and EPA Region 10 (combined 6 awards), and the Department of Energy (3 awards), accounting for 62% of recent activity. Combined obligated dollars across all awards total $18.7 million.

Representative work includes a $8.93 million Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grants award from EPA Region 10 (April 2025) to construct a 30,000-gallon bulk fuel storage facility, a 160-kilowatt solar photovoltaic array with 250 kilowatt-hour battery storage, two solar workforce training programs, and a tribal independent power producer structure, with the Prince William Sound Economic Development District as subrecipient for training and outreach. The tribe also received a $289,573 Native American/Native Hawaiian Museum Services Program grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (September 2026) to conduct a planning process for a tribal museum housing archives and collections while preserving Sugpiaq cultural knowledge, running through August 2029. A $357,844 Denali Commission grant (August 2023) supported design and permitting for the Chenega Rehabilitation and Resurfacing Project, while a $163,616 IMLS award (October 2025) funded the Chenega Online Museum, a digital cultural repository featuring artifact digitization, elder video interviews, and educational resources accessible to the dispersed community.

Broadband and connectivity work includes a $1.1 million National Telecommunications and Information Administration grant (May 2023) to install fixed wireless antenna infrastructure, provide subsidized broadband service for 44 months, and equip households and anchor institutions with end-user devices, running through April 2027. Environmental capacity-building work includes an EPA Region 10 grant (October 2022) focused on administrative, programmatic, communications, waste management, and technical capacity, running through September 2026, and a $116,950 NOAA Unallied Science Program award (May 2022) for planning and removal of seven abandoned vessels in the harbor.

The tribe also holds Department of Energy formula grants for home electrification and appliance rebates under Inflation Reduction Act Section 50122 (January 2025 through December 2029) and for electric grid resilience under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (February 2024 through April 2032). A Bureau of Indian Affairs Tribal Tourism Grant Program award of $30,916 (March 2023) funded development of a heritage tourism business plan centered on traditional Sugpiaq-themed dry cabins and tent platforms in Prince William Sound, completion targeted for March 2025. A Treasury Department Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund grant (September 2022) supported broadband infrastructure and critical capital projects in response to COVID-19 through December 2026.

Four awards have ultimate completion dates within the next twenty-four months and face recompete exposure. The tribe's grant activity has remained relatively flat at two to three awards per year over the past five years, with the most recent award dated September 2026.