Swinomish Indian Tribal Community

Swinomish Indian Tribal Community, a federally recognized American Indian tribe headquartered in La Conner, Washington, operates as a federal grant recipient delivering tribal governance, social services, environmental management, and community development programs across 513 recent federal awards (93% as prime recipient, 7% as sub-recipient). The tribe is American Indian owned and operates as a tribal government structure under the Department of Interior trust relationship.

Swinomish's federal footprint centers on grant work across health, social services, environmental protection, transportation, and cultural preservation. Representative grant awards span the Department of Health and Human Services' child care development and elder services programs (Older Americans Act Title VI formula grants for nutrition and caregiver support, LIHEAP home energy assistance, community services block grants), the Environmental Protection Agency's air quality monitoring and environmental remediation programs (air pollution control, Puget Sound restoration, drinking water infrastructure resilience), the Federal Highway Administration's tribal transportation program, the Department of Justice's victim services and tribal justice initiatives, FEMA's building resilience and disaster preparedness programs, and the Department of the Interior's environmental and energy development programs. Recent examples include a $11.07 million Maritime Administration port infrastructure development grant (October 2025, completion July 2031) for the Swinomish Port Authority to develop a comprehensive port master plan and construct maritime infrastructure components; a $600,000 EPA cooperative agreement (October 2025, completion September 2030) for Puget Sound habitat restoration and water quality management in the Skagit River watershed; a $347,577 Administration for Native Americans grant (September 2025, completion September 2028) for shoreline protection planning and a field-based technology tool; and a $339,781 Department of Interior Minerals and Mining grant (September 2025, completion September 2027) for a combined heat and power feasibility study to advance tribal energy sovereignty. The tribe also holds recurring formula grants for child care services (CCDF and discretionary block grants), family violence prevention services, LIHEAP energy assistance, and community services block grants, many running through fiscal year 2028.

Customer concentration is broad across 55 federal agencies, with the top five by award count (Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families at 66 awards, Bureau of Indian Affairs at 65 awards, EPA at 31 awards, EPA Region 10 at 29 awards, and Administration on Aging) accounting for 44% of awards. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission holds the highest potential value concentration at $369 thousand across 28 awards—all recurring annual Tribal Employment Rights Ordinance (TERO) contracts valued between $30,000 and $33,000 each, awarded without set-aside designation and performed in La Conner. Award activity has fluctuated year-to-year—20 awards in 2022, 46 in 2023, 29 in 2024, 25 in 2025, and 7 to date in 2026—with 22 awards (combined potential value $33 thousand) reaching completion within the next twenty-four months.

The tribe acts as sub-recipient on several multi-agency pass-through arrangements. Recent sub-awards include fisheries habitat restoration and salmon recovery funding through the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission (supporting treaty fishing rights and ESA-listed salmonid recovery), behavioral health services contracts through the Washington State Health Care Authority, and collaborative research partnerships on topics including aquaculture, Arctic environmental change, and emerging health risks from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons through university prime grantees (Oregon State University, University of Washington, University of Alaska Fairbanks). The tribe also receives sub-award pass-throughs from the Washington State Department of Health for WIC client services and public health emergency preparedness funding directed to federally recognized tribes.

Swinomish's work across environmental, social services, and tribal governance domains reflects the tribe's administrative capacity to manage multiple federal grant programs simultaneously and its operational role as a self-governing tribal nation. The tribe maintains a Tribal Historic Preservation Office, Department of Environmental Protection, housing authority, police department, courts, utilities authority, and health services divisions—all of which draw federal grant funding for program operations and capital projects. Recent grant work emphasizes climate resilience, broadband infrastructure, energy sustainability, water security, and disaster preparedness, consistent with federal investment priorities in tribal infrastructure and self-determination.