SKC awarded $700,000 in USDA grants

Salish-Kootenai College in Pablo recently received $700,017 through two Tribal College Initiative Grants. The funds will be used to prepare and pave a parking lot adjacent to a dormitory housing project and to purchase equipment for student transportation and grounds maintenance.

The two grants were awarded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) as part of more than $8.2 million given to nine underserved and tribal communities in Montana. These awards are designed to help improve infrastructure, housing and educational opportunities.

“Everyone deserves access to education, housing, and reliable water infrastructure, no matter where they live, their age or ability, or their income,” said Kathleen Williams, Montana’s director of Rural Development. She added that the investments “foster opportunity by helping provide life’s basic necessities to grow and thrive.”

The grant awards in Montana were part of a broader $81 million USDA investment in 208 projects across 42 states and two U.S. territories – Puerto Rico and the Marshall Islands/Micronesia.