Four South Dakota tribes have applied for federal planning grants to help establish their own child and family services programs.
Grant applications from the Crow Creek, Cheyenne River, Lower Brule and Yankton Sioux tribes were rejected last year, but the tribes have re-applied, according to Chase Iron Eyes of the Lakota People's Law Project.Â
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services can award only five $300,000 grants each year. Tribal officials are hoping to see an increase in funding, Iron Eyes said in a news release.
An estimated 750 Native American children in South Dakota are removed from their homes annually, Iron Eyes said. The state receives approximately $63 million each year to care for these children.
