Prior Lake, Minn. – The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community (SMSC) announced today that it will make up to $300,000 in grants in 2015 to improve public safety in Minnesota. Agencies located anywhere in the state are invited to apply by March 23, 2015.

To be eligible, an applicant must be a governmental organization or agency in the state of Minnesota, a federally recognized Native American tribe in Minnesota, or a non-governmental organization that is a charitable organization under applicable federal and state laws and is applying in cooperation with an eligible governmental body.

Eligible projects must result in improvements in any of the following categories:

Communications and/or radio equipment
Training
Construction
Extrication
Hazardous materials
Medical aid and/or medical equipment
Fire-related training and equipment
Rescue
Vehicle conversions
Vehicle acquisitions

The SMSC has not set a minimum or maximum for grant requests within the $300,000 available, but applicants must be prepared to fulfill a required 20% match on each grant (either in cash or in kind). All funded projects must also be substantially complete by December 31, 2015.

Public safety as a priority

“As a Community, the SMSC understands how important safety and emergency response capabilities are to our residents and visitors,” said SMSC Chairman Charlie Vig. “We want to focus special attention this year on what we can to do to help other Minnesota communities be as ready as possible to respond to people in need.”

The SMSC’s full-time fire and ambulance department, Mdewakanton Public Safety, has a 30-member staff that serves Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community members and enterprises in a seven-square-mile area. It also responds to mutual aid calls from Prior Lake, Shakopee, and other neighboring communities.

Applications and timeline

The SMSC has opened the grant application process online at www.shakopeedakota.org, with a March 23 deadline. A committee and the SMSC Business Council will then review the applications. Grant recipients will be announced on April 20.

About the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community

The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community is a federally recognized, sovereign Indian tribe located southwest of Minneapolis/St. Paul. With a focus on being a good neighbor, good steward of the earth, and good employer, the SMSC is committed to charitable donations, community partnerships, a healthy environment, and a strong economy. The SMSC and the SMSC Gaming Enterprise (Mystic Lake Casino Hotel and Little Six Casino) are the largest employer in Scott County. Out of a Dakota tradition to help others, the SMSC has donated nearly $300 million to organizations and causes since opening the Gaming Enterprise in the 1990s and has contributed millions more to regional governments and infrastructure such as roads, water and sewer systems, and emergency services.