Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community

The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community (SMSC) is a federally recognized Native American tribal government located in Prior Lake, Minnesota, consisting of approximately 350 members of Dakota heritage. As a sovereign tribal entity, SMSC owns and operates 24 diverse enterprises across 9.56 square miles of reservation and off-reservation trust lands in Scott County. Through federal grant awards, SMSC has consistently demonstrated a strategic focus on environmental sustainability, renewable energy development, and community infrastructure improvement, positioning itself as a proactive and forward-thinking tribal government committed to technological and ecological advancement.

The SMSC has secured numerous federal grants across multiple agencies, with a pronounced emphasis on environmental and energy initiatives. Key grant awards include renewable energy projects from the Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, which funded a $1,242,616 project to install 596 kilowatts of rooftop solar photovoltaic systems on tribal buildings. The Environmental Protection Agency has been a significant funding partner, providing multiple grants such as Climate Pollution Reduction Grants and Performance Partnership Grants totaling over $500,000 to develop climate action plans and support environmental program management. The Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs has also supported SMSC through Energy and Mineral Development Program grants, providing funding for solar and wind energy feasibility studies. Additional grants from agencies like the National Science Foundation and National Resources Conservation Service have supported cultural preservation efforts, such as a bison program and indigenous land management research. These grants collectively demonstrate SMSC's comprehensive approach to sustainable community development, technological innovation, and cultural preservation.