The Port Gamble S’Klallam Foundation has received an amost $50,000 grant to help Native cultural institutions recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Funds will support the S’Klallam Connections Garden Project for an open-air cultural classroom in the tribally owned Heronswood Garden.

“The pandemic was especially hard for our people due to the loss of cultural gatherings and teachings that are part of our daily lives,” said Kelly Sullivan, Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe executive director. “Learning and teaching are vital in keeping traditions alive through the generations and resources like this are providing us a forum to bring some of it back in a setting that is healthy and safe.”

Susan Feller, Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries and Museums president, said COVID hit tribal communities especially hard. “The pandemic is not only responsible for the loss of culture keepers, Native language speakers, elders and government leaders, but also the closure of cultural institutions, furloughed staff and reduced programming,” she said. “This opportunity will provide much-needed financial support and create humanities-based programs that bring cultural practitioners and the public together in a dialogue that embraces the civic and cultural life of Native communities.”

The Port Gamble S’Klallam Foundation was selected by an independent Peer Review Committee and is one of 84 awardees. A total of $3.26 million was granted.

Funds were provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities as part of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 passed by the U.S. Congress.