2010 Impact and Effectiveness of ANA Projects Report to Congress

The mission of the Administration for Native Americans (ANA) is to promote self-sufficiency and cultural preservation by providing social and economic development opportunities to eligible tribes and native communities, including American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and Native Pacific Islander organizations. ANA provides funding and technical assistance for community-based projects that are designed to improve the lives of native children and families and reduce long-term dependency on public assistance.

Each year, ANA visits grantees to conduct impact evaluations on ANA-funded projects. This report includes a brief overview of each project visited and comprehensive results on the impact ANA funding has on Native American communities. The combined funding for the visited projects was $21.3 million, $13.5 million for 39 social and economic development projects, $6.3 million for 24 language projects, and $1.5 million for seven environmental projects. The projects were located in 22 states and territories, with the highest number of projects in Alaska, California, and Oklahoma.

ANA grantee projects had a positive effect on the economy of Native American communities. As detailed in this report, in 2010, ANA’s $21.3 million investment in the communities resulted in:

• 360 full-time jobs
• 36 businesses created
• $5.7 million in income generated
• $6.1 million in additional resources leveraged to support projects
• 2,762 individuals trained
• 1,114 partnerships formed
• 6,487 youth and 2,029 elders involved in community based projects
• 1,238 youth and 208 adults with increased ability to speak native languages

A majority of ANA projects visited in 2010 successfully met or exceeded all of their project objectives. Only 7 percent of the projects visited did not meet project objectives, compared to the 69 percent of projects that met or exceeded project objectives.

The impact evaluation process enables ANA to make data-driven decisions that enhance ANA services and, in turn, increase ANA project success. As this report demonstrates, ANA grant funding continues to be an effective vehicle for encouraging the self-sufficiency and cultural preservation of Native American communities.

The full report is attached.