ANA promotes social and economic self-sufficiency in communities through SEDS grants. These competitive financial assistance grants support locally determined projects designed to support the principle that social and economic development is inter-related and essential for the development of thriving Native communities.
SEDS programmatic goals include developing and implementing culturally appropriate strategies to meet the social service needs and well-being; promote the creation of a sustainable local economy to enhance the economic independence; and increasing the ability of tribal and Alaska Native villages and territorial governments to exercise local control and decision-making, and to develop and enforce laws, regulations, codes, and policies that reflect and promote the interests of community members.
SEDS grants fund social and economic development projects in on- and off-reservation native communities and provide federal support for self-determination and self-governance among Native American people.