Dek: A sudden federal reversal wipes out nearly $9M in agricultural equity funding for Montana tribes, disrupting land‑access, training, and food‑system projects.
Brief: The U.S. Department of Agriculture abruptly terminated a nearly $9 million grant to the Piikani Lodge Health Institute on the Blackfeet Reservation—part of a broader national cancellation of equity‑focused agricultural grants. The program, originally funded through the American Rescue Plan, was designed to expand land access, capital, and technical support for “underserved” farmers and ranchers. Montana’s Chippewa Cree Tribe and other Native‑led agricultural initiatives were also affected. USDA officials claimed the grants involved “discriminatory preferences based on DEI,” a characterization tribal leaders strongly reject. The cancellations halt planned training hubs, land purchases, and producer support programs that were already underway.
Why It Matters for Black & POC Communities:
- These grants were created to address historic discrimination in land access and agricultural financing—barriers that have long harmed Indigenous and Black farmers.
- Cutting the funds undermines food sovereignty, economic mobility, and intergenerational land stewardship across Montana’s Native nations.
- The move signals a broader federal retreat from equity‑driven rural development, with ripple effects for all communities of color seeking fair access to land and capital.