Organized Village Of Kake

Organized Village Of Kake, doing business as Keex-Kwaan, is a federally recognized Tlingit tribal government headquartered in Kake, Alaska, that receives federal grants as a prime recipient to fund community services, cultural preservation, youth development, justice system capacity, environmental management, and economic development. The organization operates almost exclusively as a grant recipient (99% of recent awards) rather than a federal contractor, competing for and receiving formula grants and project grants across social services, tribal government administration, and natural resource management without set-aside restrictions inherent to tribal governments themselves.

Keex-Kwaan's grant portfolio spans 157 awards from thirty-two distinct federal agencies, with a combined potential value of $1.2 million and combined obligated dollars of $52.6 million, reflecting multi-year performance on formula grants that recycle annually. The top funding sources by award count are the Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Community Living (18 awards across Older Americans Act Title VI Part A, nutrition services incentive, and caregiver support programs), the Institute of Museum and Library Services (12 awards), the Department of the Interior National Park Service National Office (11 awards for historic preservation), and the Department of the Interior Bureau of Indian Affairs and Indian Education (9 awards). By potential value, the Department of Agriculture Forest Service Region 10-Alaska leads with six awards carrying $864 thousand combined potential value, anchored by a $206,503.75 cooperative agreement under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Restoration/Revegetation program for watershed restoration in the Keexkwaan Community Forest Partnership watershed through December 31, 2027.

Representative grant work includes a $1.235 million Bureau of Justice Assistance Tribal Justice Assistance Program (CFDA 16.596) project award in October 2024 to renovate a tribally owned building into a permanent tribal court space with courtroom, judge's chambers, administrative offices, and waiting area, completing September 30, 2029; a $810 thousand Office on Violence Against Women discretionary grant (CFDA 16.587) in October 2025 for domestic violence services expansion through September 30, 2028; a $732,883 Administration for Native Americans Native American Programs grant (CFDA 93.612) in September 2025 to establish the Keku Furs Tannery as a year-round commercial operation processing sea otter hides and employing two full-time and up to 28 part-time tribal members through September 29, 2028; a $546,353 Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Assistance Tribal Youth Program grant in October 2025 to expand after-school tutoring, mentoring, cultural activities, STEM programming, and youth counseling through September 30, 2030; and a $149,512 Institute of Museum and Library Services Native American and Native Hawaiian Library Services award (CFDA 45.311) in October 2026 for conservation assessment and collections treatment planning for 45 cultural heritage items at the Charles "Topsy" Johnson Tribal Library & Archive through September 30, 2028. Recurring Administration on Aging formula grants fund Older Americans Act Title VI Part A grants for Native Americans, nutrition services incentive programs, and caregiver support across multiple fiscal years. Historic preservation grants from the National Park Service support tribal historic preservation office activities under the National Historic Preservation Act. Sub-award work includes a February 2025 grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation for design and permitting of nature-based coastal habitat solutions such as kelp mariculture and living shorelines near Kake.

Activity has remained relatively flat year over year—seven awards in 2022 through eight in 2025, with five awards to date in 2026—and eight awards face ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months, creating potential recompete opportunity for renewal or successor grants. Keex-Kwaan's category concentration centers on social services delivery (direct aid to tribal governments under Public Law 93-638), forest management and natural resources conservation (fisheries, fish hatchery, support activities for forestry), and archival and cultural heritage work. The organization serves the approximately 550 residents of Kake, an isolated Tlingit community on Kupreanof Island in Southeast Alaska without road access, alongside broader Alaska Native and regional beneficiary populations where applicable.