South Dakota Community Foundation Awards $20,000 Grant to Lower Brule Community College

South Dakota Community Foundation (SDCF) has awarded a $20,000 South Dakota Fund grant to Lower Brule Community College (LBCC) due to the loss of federal funding. Funding will assist LBCC to continue the Infant and Toddler Tribal Intervention Program (Program), which provides services for children on the Lower Brule Sioux and Crow Creek Sioux Reservations, aged birth through five, who have a disability and who may require additional assistive services.

“Receiving the grants funds from the South Dakota Community Foundation will make an immense impact on the continued functionality of our program,” said Natalie Anderson, LBCC President. “With the addition of these funds, we will be able to continue the much-needed services that the Infant and Toddler Tribal Intervention Program offers, such as special education and speech services, mental health and behavioral support, teacher coaching, developmental, vision and hearing screenings, and community outreach for the children and families of the Lower Brule and Crow Creek Sioux Tribes. Our program was affected by the Federal budget cuts in the Special Education Department this year, and without the grant funds, the services we provide to the children and families would be discontinued. A disruption in these services would negatively impact our Tribal children and families, causing a significant decrease in quality of life, so we are incredibly grateful to receive these funds.”

Since 2019, the Program has served thousands of children and their families, ensuring no Tribal child is left unserved. Using grant funds, the Program will be able to continue to provide direct services for children enrolled in the Tribal Head Start programs, who are identified as needing special education services under the Tribes’ IDEA criteria. The Program will also be able to continue to provide necessities to families in need through the screening program, such as diapers, wipes, formula, children’s books and vouchers for groceries. 

"LBCC’s commitment to the children and their families on both the Lower Brule Sioux and Crow Creek Reservations through the Infant and Toddler Intervention Program should be commended," says Ginger Niemann, SDCF Senior Program Officer. “We are proud to provide support for them to continue their important work during these uncertain times.”

To learn more about funding opportunities through SDCF, visit SDCommunityFoundation.org.