CATOOSA, OK – Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. and Deputy Chief Bryan Warner announced up to $2.15 million in grants available to help more Cherokees within the reservation and at-large with access to health and wellness gyms, walking trails and other options to help citizens achieve wellness. During the tribe’s 2024 Annual Cherokee Nation Community and Cultural Outreach Conference at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Tulsa, Chief Hoskin announced the new Public Health and Wellness Grants.
The tribe’s 86 Cherokee Community Organizations (CCO) – located within the 7,000 sq. mi. Cherokee Nation reservation and across the country – can each apply for up to $25,000 in grants to purchase exercise equipment for their community buildings, add walking trails, fund basketball, pickleball or tennis courts, stickball fields, greenhouse and gardens, subsidize gym memberships for organization members and other activities and programs to encourage moving and getting outdoors.
The grants are funded through Chief Hoskin and Deputy Chief Warner’s Public Health and Wellness Fund Act, which earmarks seven percent of the tribe’s third-party health revenue for public health and wellness initiatives such as behavioral health programs, physical fitness programs and infrastructure such as walking trails and wellness centers.
“With this historic investment, Cherokees can prioritize their personal health and mental wellness no matter where they live — whether it’s within the Cherokee Nation reservation or one of our at-large communities,” said Chief Hoskin. “When we have access to the right kind of fitness equipment and technology coupled with strategic wellness programs, we can make the kind of systematic changes needed for healthier communities and families and improve the lives of our people.”
Applications for the new CCO Public Health and Wellness grants will be available in the coming months exclusively for the 86 CCO participating non-profit organizations. The grants will be available on an annual basis.
