GRAND RONDE, Ore. – The Spirit Mountain Casino in Grand Ronde is arguably one of the biggest and most popular tourist attractions in the state. It boasts hundreds of hotel rooms, extensive gaming options, entertainment, excellent restaurants, gift shops, a beautiful setting, a large RV lot for visitors and more. But behind the glitter, the bright lights and the chimes of the slot machines is a serious effort to better communities and improve lives.
The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, which owns and operates the casino, manages the Spirit Mountain Community Fund. The fund takes a portion of the profits from the casino and distributes it through a grant process to a number of organizations. Throughout the years, the fund has donated close to $5 million annually to local programs and projects. So far this year $700,000 has been distributed to grant recipients. The mission of the fund is to continue and fulfill the potlatch tradition of sharing good fortune.
The fund is a component of the gaming compact between the tribe and the state of Oregon. Under the agreement, eligible grant applications were originally accepted from organizations in 11 Oregon counties. Last year, the compact was amended to expand grant eligibility to include all nine of the federally recognized tribes in the state.
In its first year, the tribal grants allotted more than $300,000 to six tribal applicants. On the list was a maximum disbursement of $75,000 for a Burns Paiute project entitled Economic Development of Tribal Farmland and $40,000 to the Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians for their community center. Funding cannot exceed $75,000 and can cover no more than half of the amount needed to complete any proposed project or program. Eligible grants focus on one of seven specified areas: art and culture, education, health, environmental preservation, historic preservation, public safety or problem gaming.
Some of the other recent beneficiaries of the Spirit Mountain Community Fund include the Network for Reproductive Options, Tucker-Maxon Oral School, CASA of Marion County and the Benton County Committee for the Prevention of Child Abuse.
The fund also sponsors the Hatfield Fellowship internship program. The internship runs nine months with stipend pay and other expenses covered to travel to Washington, D.C. Once there, the intern works with a member of Oregon’s Congressional delegation. To apply for this fellowship, applicants must be enrolled members of an Oregon tribe. In the event there is no qualified applicant from an Oregon tribe, applicants enrolled in federally recognized tribes from Washington, Idaho and Montana may be considered. The fellowship is named in honor of former U.S. senator and Oregon governor, Mark Hatfield.
On May 15, the Spirit Mountain Community Fund will hold a meeting in Salem, Ore. to assist applicants for the Oregon Tribes Grant Program in completing online grant applications. Applications for the Tribal Grant Program are due June 26. Fellowship applications may also be completed and submitted online. Applications for the Hatfield Fellowship are due at 5 p.m. April 25.