Nooksack Indian Tribe

Nooksack Indian Tribe, doing business as Nooksack Business Corporation 1, is a federally recognized tribal government located in Deming, Washington that acts as a prime recipient for federal grants supporting tribal social services, environmental management, cultural preservation, and justice system capacity. The tribe does not hold federal contracts and competes exclusively in federal grant programs designed for Native American tribes and tribal governments.

The Nooksack Indian Tribe's federal footprint is dominated by formula and block grants from the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of the Interior, and federal environmental agencies. The tribe operates as prime recipient on 382 awards (92% of all awards) and as sub-recipient on 34 awards (8%), with grants clustered in four core capability areas. First, the tribe administers family support and child welfare programs including Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF, CFDA 93.558), Child Care and Development Block Grants (CCDBG, CFDA 93.575), Child Support Enforcement Services (CFDA 93.563), and Community Services Block Grants (CSBG, CFDA 93.641). Second, the tribe operates aging and nutrition services under the Older Americans Act Title VI Parts A and C (CFDA 93.643, 93.644) and the Nutrition Services Incentive Program (CFDA 93.053). Third, the tribe leads environmental and watershed restoration initiatives including EPA Performance Partnership Grants for water quality planning and non-point source management (CFDA 66.605), a $600,000 cooperative agreement for the Puget Sound Protection and Restoration program (CFDA 66.121), and a $5.2 million cooperative agreement with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for salmon habitat restoration in the South Fork Nooksack River (awarded August 2023, completion June 2027). Fourth, the tribe maintains library services, cultural preservation, and language revitalization through project grants from the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the Administration for Native Americans.

The tribe's customer concentration is steep. The Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families leads with 106 awards (71 from ACF direct, 35 from other HHS administration units combined), the Department of the Interior Bureau of Indian Affairs and Indian Education accounts for 40 awards, and the HHS Administration for Community Living (which includes the Administration on Aging) holds 39 awards collectively. These top three agencies cover 44 percent of recent award count. Secondary customers include the Environmental Protection Agency Region 10, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Department of Justice (including the Office on Violence Against Women, the Bureau of Justice Assistance, and the Office of Justice Programs), the Federal Highway Administration, and the National Endowment for the Arts. The tribe received a $556,331 project grant from the Office on Violence Against Women (CFDA 16.587) to establish domestic violence and men's advocacy positions (October 2025 through September 2028), a $1.186 million formula grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance for tribal justice center renovation (ultimate completion September 2026), and a $507,630 project grant from the DOJ COPS Office for law enforcement officer hiring under the Tribal Resources Grant Hiring Program (CFDA 16.710, completion September 2027).

Activity has fluctuated across the past five years: 22 awards in 2022, 35 in 2023, 21 in 2024, 18 in 2025, and 7 through mid-2026. The source shows 24 awards reaching ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months and therefore facing recompete or grant renewal. The tribe acts as sub-recipient primarily through pass-through arrangements with the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission on salmon recovery and Puget Sound restoration subawards, with the Health Care Authority on behavioral health service delivery subawards, with the Washington State Department of Health on WIC and public health emergency preparedness subawards, and with state recreation and conservation agencies on river restoration design and implementation subawards. The tribe has approximately 1,946 enrolled members and serves populations across Whatcom County, Washington, in communities including Deming, Everson, Sumas, Nooksack, and Lynden, roughly ten miles from Bellingham and within ten miles of the U.S.-Canada border.