This quarterly newsletter provides our colleagues across the government with updates on how the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), federal partners, ACF Grant Recipients, and Indigenous communities are addressing Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP).
Administration for Native Americans releases new podcast series

Well-known Native American motivational speaker, Chance Rush, and the Administration for Native Americans (ANA) are producing a podcast series: Keeping Us Whole: Preventing Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP). Episodes will feature interviews with guest speakers on the following topics:
 
·      Preventing Violence
·      Protecting Our Children
·      Protecting Our LGBT2S Relatives
·      Surviving, Serving, Speaking: Athletes and Advocacy
 
Guest speakers will include renown Native American athletes, experts on trauma-informed practice, family members whose loved ones went missing, and Head Start preschool program specialists. 

View the first episode here.
Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women National Day of Action: Uplifting the Voices of MMIW Surviving Families

In some tribal communities, American Indian women face murder rates more than 10 times the national average. In responding to this national crisis, we recognize systemic barriers that exacerbate efforts to locate missing victims for families, communities, and tribal nations. Over the last decade, awareness of MMIW as a national issue has increased, but more must be done to stop disappearances and save lives.

By learning from the experiences of surviving family members of MMIW, the movement can work to achieve the reforms needed to safeguard the lives of Indigenous women and strengthen the authority of Indian nations to protect their citizens.

This webinar is made possible by Grant Number 90EV0533 from the Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Family and Youth Services Bureau, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

May 5
3:00 PM EST

Registration:
ANA Presents MMIP Webinar on May 12

Future Leaders of the MMIP Crisis: Advocacy through Virtual Storytelling and Digital Arts

Description:

The Remembering Our Sisters Fellowship housed at the Center for Native American Youth is a virtual storytelling and digital arts program that empowers young Indigenous women and femme-identifying leaders to raise awareness of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP) crisis and advocate for better policies that address the MMIP crisis. In this webinar, you will hear from several of the Remembering Our Sisters Fellows and learn about their MMIP-focused projects.

May 12
3:00 PM EDT
Register here - Meeting Registration - Zoom
No More Stolen Relatives - Running for Justice
Remembering Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives

Rising Hearts is honored and grateful to bring the community together to honor, uplift, and send prayers for our missing and murdered Indigenous relatives, their families, and for the advocates within these spaces - their dedication and their heart work to support the families, communities, the advocacy and finding solutions to end this epidemic.

EVENT: May 8, 2022, Washington, DC
Rising Hearts
Rising Hearts is an Indigenous led grassroots organization committed to the heart work in elevating Indigenous voices, promoting, and supporting intersectional collaborative efforts across all movements in cultivating community with the goals or racial, social, climate and economic justice. Our primary focuses are to inform, elevate, mobilize, and organize through strategic and targeted advocacy and programming, establishing collaborative partnerships to help create a better, safer future, and environment for all relatives who inhabit this planet – Past, Present, and Future.
POC: Jordan Marie Daniels
National Conference Injury and Violence Prevention

Join the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Indian Health Service virtually from July 26-28, 2022 as we Reconnect to Promote Health Equity and Advance Practice and Science at the 2nd National Conference on American Indian and Alaska Native Injury and Violence Prevention. Registration is free and open to the public.

Watch HUD ONAP Virtual Housing Summit
(Previously recorded)

On April 6, as part of the HUD ONAP Virtual Housing Summit , the Office of Native American Programs hosted a Panel Discussion: Honoring all Relatives: Addressing Gender-based Violence during the Pandemic

Description: The need for safe, affordable, accessible, and stable housing is one of the most pressing concerns for American Indian and Alaska Native survivors of gender-based violence. For many communities across Indian Country, gender-based violence cases rose to alarming rates during the Covid-19 pandemic alerting all tribal programs, from health to housing, to respond. Panel speakers share how their programs are addressing violence while protecting their citizens through access to shelters and safe spaces for survivors.

Panelists:
Caroline LaPorte, Director of the Tribal Safe Housing Center, National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center
Jolene Holgate, Training and Education Director, Coalition to Stop Violence Against Native Women
Elizabeth Fisherman, Housing Director, Flandreau Santee Sioux Housing Authority
Free event open to the public, but registrants must complete the survey first.

Direct Link to Survey/Register:

Direct Link to register for ZOOM (must complete the survey above first):
Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples Day livestreamed event

The Department of the Interior will mark Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples Day on Thursday, May 5th, with a virtual event featuring Interior Secretary Deb Haaland.

A live virtual event will be held at 2:30 p.m. EDT where she will make an important announcement.  

The event will feature remarks by: 
  • Fawn Sharp, President of the National Congress of American Indians 
  • Lucy Rain Simpson, Executive Director of the National Indigenous Women's Resource Center 
  • Whitney Gravelle, Chairwoman of the Bay Mills Indian Community 
  • Lisa O. Monaco, Deputy Attorney General, U.S. Department of Justice  (recorded remarks)

This event is available to the public.

HHS Tribal Consultation Addressing the Crisis of Missing or Murdered Indigenous People Note on Tribal Consultation 

On April 20, 2022, HHS hosted a Tribal Consultation for Executive Order (E.O.) 14053— Improving Public Safety and Criminal Justice for Native Americans and Addressing the Crisis of Missing or Murdered Indigenous People. Over 220 participants attended the Consultation to support the development of the HHS MMIP Prevention Strategy. Section 5 of the E.O. calls on the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in consultation with Tribal nations, to develop a comprehensive plan to support prevention efforts that reduce risk factors for victimization of Native Americans and increase protective factors by enhancing. The HHS Prevention Strategy will be developed throughout the summer of 2022 and will expand upon an existing resource at HHS like these listed below:
 
· Administration for Children and Families (ACF): Framework on Missing and Murdered Native Americans. The framework focuses on improving the wellbeing of Native populations and communities through a wide range of ACF programs and technical assistance resources. The primary intent is to move ACF resources upstream to promote prevention, intervene for those in crisis, and support individuals, families, and communities in need of healing.

· Administration for Community Living (ACL): Housing and Services Resource Center. The Housing and Services Resource Center was created for people who work in the organizations and systems that provide housing resources and homelessness services, behavioral and mental health services, independent living services and other supportive services, and others who are working to help people live successfully and stably in the community.

· Centers for Disease Control (CDC): Division of Violence Preventions VETO Violence has tools and trainings on Violence Prevention. Explore these resources for quick summaries on basic violence prevention information. For a more comprehensive look, consider completing the Principles of Prevention training.

· Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA): HRSA leads efforts to help community health care centers and domestic violence programs address intimate partner violence (IPV) and human trafficking. Towards these effort HRSA assembled resources at the following site: How to Address Intimate Partner Violence and Human Trafficking at the Community Level

· Indian Health Service (IHS) -The Division of Behavioral Health addresses serious behavioral health issues such as substance use disorders, mental health disorders, suicide, violence, and behavior-related chronic diseases have a profound impact on the health of American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) individuals, families, and communities.

· National Institutes of Health (NIH)- Substance use and misuse are often contributing factors to MMIP. Resources available at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and Substance Use and Co-Occurring Mental Disorders

· Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is the HHS agency that leads public health efforts to advance the behavioral health of the nation and to improve the lives of individuals living with mental and substance use disorders, and their families.
 
Please send written comments by e-mail to consultation@hhs.gov by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on Friday, May 20, 2022. Please use the subject line: Policy Directives Outlines in Executive Order (E.O) 14053. 
MMIP in the News


In March 2022, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signed into law a bill that creates a first-in-the-nation statewide alert system for missing Indigenous people.

The law creates a system similar to Amber Alerts and so-called silver alerts, which are used respectively for missing children and vulnerable adults in many states.
The system will notify law enforcement when there's a report of a missing Indigenous person. It will also place messages on highway reader boards and on the radio and social media, and will provide information to the news media.

Anyone who wishes to donate any single earring is asked to send them to: BIA Office of Justice Services, Attn: One Earring Exhibit, 1849 C Street, NW, Mailstop 3662, Washington, DC 20240.

The exhibit will open May 5.


On March 14, 2022, A panel of four female activists and lawyers took the stage at Brooklyn Public Library to lead a discussion on the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons crisis, each donning a article of red clothing.


The Navajo Nation spans over 17,500 acres, comparable in size to West Virginia, where the Nation has 185 police officer’s to West Virginia’s 8500 officers.

The lack of law enforcement has made it difficult to solve the 60-66 missing persons cases, however, the Nation is taking steps to increase the number of tribal law enforcement detectives in each district and also creating sobering centers.
Helpful Resources
Recent ACF Conference Workshops Address MMIP

On March 22-24, 2022, ACF hosted the 2022 Indigenous Programs Conference for all ACF Native American and Pacific Islander grant recipients. This conference provid an opportunity for ACF grant recipients to exchange ideas and provide feedback to federal staff, learn more about grant management best practices, and explore ACF resources to support grant programs working with Native communities. Over 800 participants attended the conference.

The following sessions provided content and resources related to MMIP and will be available on the conference website.

Visit the ACF Resources page, which also provides helpful links to many of the ACF Program Offices for your reference. To view the workshops from this year's conference click here.
MMIP Resources
 
Intimate Partner Violence Prevention strategies include teaching safe and healthy relationship skills; engaging influential adults and peers; disrupting the developmental pathways toward IPV; creating protective environments; strengthening economic supports for families; and supporting survivors to increase safety and lessen harms. Participants will learn how to leverage the points of intersection between intimate partner violence and social justice movements to bring us closer to our shared horizon. Prevention campaigns designed by and for Native communities will be highlighted.

Individuals who have experienced human trafficking or are at risk of human trafficking may access a variety of services. In this training, we equip those serving Indigenous populations to better understand the issues surrounding human trafficking and its impact in American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities.

This panel discussion was designed to bring awareness to issues that garner less conversation amongst tribal communities. Speakers will touch on sensitive topics that directly influence circumstance, such as: direct effects of homicide/MMIP, the implementation of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA), abandonment, foster care, kinship care, elder care, and caregiving. Presenters discussed personal and professional experiences about how these elements have impacted their lives directly.

Discussion on how culture can be used as a protective factor against issues resulting from colonization and historical trauma.

This session highlighted recent initiatives in Indian Country, the Indigenous Adolescent Girls’ Empowerment Network (IMAGEN). IMAGEN uses a culture-first, girl-centered approach to strengthen supports for Native girls by reclaiming matrilineal traditions a freely available participatory tool we will demonstrate and provide to attendees.

In 2020, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) released the Missing and Murdered Native Americans — A Public Health Framework for Action (Framework) which focuses on preventing the factors that increase the vulnerability of Indigenous peoples. The Framework was developed in collaboration with the ACF Tribal Advisory Committee and was also informed by other tribal leaders, Native American state legislators, Native American community representatives, Native American youth, federal representatives, and ACF technical assistance providers. ACF is developing an MMIP Implementation Strategy for the Framework that furthers EO 14053. This Town Hall was developed to ensure that ACF’s Indigenous grant recipients have an opportunity to provide input on the prevention, early intervention, and victim and survivor services efforts that should be considered for all Native communities in the U.S. through ACF’s programs and the MMIP Implementation Strategy.

ACF MMIP Implementation Strategy Update
In 2022, ACF will launch the Implementation Strategy for Preventing MMIP and advance collaborative actions through Health and Human Services programs. The Strategy builds on the ACF Missing and Murdered Native Americans - A Public Health Framework for Action which outlines the current Administration’s efforts to prevent the victimization of Indigenous people and communities. ACF’s program components are building on four pillars to advance targeted actions:

·      Culture, language, traditional practices
·      Economic mobility
·      Prevention of the conditions that contribute to MMIP
·      Social determinants of health and health equity
  
Please look forward to continued updates on this important work.
Community Resources
The National Partners Work Group on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) and the MMIW Family Advisors are organizing a National Week of Action (April 29-May 5, 2022) to call the nation and the world to action in honor of missing and murdered Indigenous women. Take action by participating in these virtual events, exploring the list of resources, and organizing additional actions in your communities on and around May 5th.

The Department of Justice is committed to addressing the persistent violence endured by Native American families and communities across the country, including by working with Tribal nations to address the important issues of missing or murdered indigenous persons. The Department views this work as a priority for its law enforcement components. It also recognizes the broader public safety and public health concerns that underlie many of these cases and require solutions from across the Department’s components.
The DOJ recently launched the Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) webpage as part of the Department’s Tribal Justice and Safety website, which houses other Tribal initiatives at DOJ such as the Tribal Access Program, grant opportunities, Consultations, and several other resources for Tribes. The new MMIP page details DOJ’s efforts to address the disproportionately high rates of violence experienced by Native Americans, and relatedly, the high rates of indigenous persons reported missing.
  
Developed by the Urban Indian Health Institute (UIHI) Building the Sacred: An Indigenous Evaluation Framework for Programs Serving Native Survivors of Violence identifies effective places from which to develop relevant program evaluation questions, to find and listen to answers in an engaging and culturally attuned way, and to share meaningful stories iteratively to improve programs and services. 
MMIP Organizations, Task Forces, and Grassroots Efforts


Urban Indian Health Institutes (MMIWG)
A division of the Seattle Indian Health Board
The mission of Urban Indian Health Institute is to decolonize data, for Indigenous people, by Indigenous people. The UIHI was established in 2000 as a Division of the Seattle Indian Health Board, which is a community health center for urban American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/ANs). The UIHI is one of 12 tribal epidemiology centers (TECs) funded by the Indian Health Service (IHS). While the other 11 TECs work with tribes regionally, the UIHI focuses on the nationwide urban AI/AN population.
 
Sovereign Bodies Institute
Sovereign Bodies Institute (SBI) builds on Indigenous traditions of data gathering and knowledge transfer to create, disseminate, and put into action research on gender and sexual violence against Indigenous people.
 
Coalition to Stop Violence Against Native Women (MMIWG2S)
CSVANW's mission: To stop violence against Native women and children by advocating for social change in our communities. The CSVANW takes ownership and responsibility for the future of Native women and children by providing support, education, and advocacy using our strengths, power and unity to create violence-free communities
 
National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center
Providing national leadership to end violence against American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian women by lifting up the collective voices of grassroots advocates and offering culturally grounded resources, technical assistance and training, and policy development to strengthen tribal sovereignty.
EVENT: 2022 National Week of Action for MMIW (April 29 – May 5, 2022)

Stronghearts
Culturally-specific helpline for Native Americans impacted by domestic, dating and sexual violence. Find help, safety and resources 24/7/365.
 
No More Stolen Relatives - Running for Justice
Remembering Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives.
Rising Hearts is honored and grateful to bring the community together to honor, uplift, and send prayers for our missing and murdered Indigenous relatives, their families, and for the advocates within these spaces - their dedication and their heart work to support the families, communities, the advocacy and finding solutions to end this epidemic.
EVENT: May 8, 2022, Washington, DC

Rising Hearts
Rising Hearts is an Indigenous led grassroots organization committed to the heart work in elevating Indigenous voices, promoting, and supporting intersectional collaborative efforts across all movements in cultivating community with the goals or racial, social, climate and economic justice. Our primary focuses are to inform, elevate, mobilize, and organize through strategic and targeted advocacy and programming, establishing collaborative partnerships to help create a better, safer future, and environment for all relatives who inhabit this planet – Past, Present, and Future.
POC: Jordan Marie Daniels
https://www.risinghearts.org/

Alliance of Tribal Coalition to End Violence
The ATCEV works to advance tribal sovereignty and safety of American Indian and Alaskan Native women by providing support to tribal coalitions and tribal communities in their efforts to address equal justice for survivors of violence.

Alaska Native Women’s Resource Center (AKNWRC)
The Alaska Native Women's Resource Center is dedicated to strengthening local, tribal government's responses through community organizing efforts advocating for the safety of women and children in their communities and homes, especially against domestic and sexual abuse and violence.


Indian Law Resource Center
Working to protect the legal rights, cultures and environments of Indian nations and other indigenous peoples of the Americas since 1978.
·      Ending Violence Against Native Women
·      Safe Women, Strong Nations (Project)

Center for Native American Youth (CNAY) Aspen Institute
Remembering Our Sisters
Empowering female & femme youth to advocate and raise awareness for the MMIWG2S+ epidemic
Indigenous women, girls, trans, and two-spirit people experience violence, sexual assault, go missing, and are murdered at the highest rates of any ethnic group. This epidemic of injustice has become known as the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirits+ (MMIWG2S+) crisis. We will never forget our sisters who have been lost to this crisis. Their memories have inspired the creation of the Remembering Our Sisters Fellowship. 
POC: Nikki Petrie

Red Ribbon Skirt Society
The Red Ribbon Skirt Society (RRSS), a grassroots collective dedicated to confronting the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, children, two-spirit and transgender people.

POC: Lily Mendoza, Co-Founder
Located in: Rapid City, South Dakota

Forget-Me-Not (Facebook)
To help reconnect the people in need to their families, friends or culture if needed.
25 Thousand members, created on June 10, 2010

POC: Samual Johns
Located: Alaska

New Mexico MMIW Task Force
In 2019, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham established the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Task Force Act, with House Bill 278. On May 5, 2021, Governor Lujan Grisham signed Executive Order 2021-013, which establishes the next phase of the task force. The task force will collaborate with tribal governments, tribal law enforcement, and the United States Department of Justice to determine how to address the crisis by creating partnerships and improving processes for reporting and investigating cases while supporting families and communities with resources.

Wisconsin Department of Justice MMIW Task Force
The Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Task Force (MMIW) is charged with helping fight the abduction, homicide, violence and trafficking of Indigenous women in Wisconsin.
Funding Opportunities
United Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Awards
 
See below for a list open OJP funding available to Support Mental Health and Human Trafficking Programs, with links to the full text of the solicitation where you can locate information on how to apply. 
 
Grants.gov deadline: 5/31/2022 | JustGrants deadline: 6/6/2022
 
Grants.gov deadline: 6/9/2022 | JustGrants deadline: 6/16/2022
 
Grants.gov deadline: 6/9/2022 | JustGrants deadline: 6/16/2022
 
Grants.gov deadline: 6/1/2022 | JustGrants deadline: 6/21/2022
 
Grants.gov deadline: 6/16/2022 | JustGrants deadline: 6/21/2022
 
Grants.gov deadline: 6/1/2022 | JustGrants deadline: 6/21/2022

Grants.gov deadline: 6/15/2022 | JustGrants deadline: 6/22/2022

Grants.gov deadline: 6/8/2022 | JustGrants deadline: 6/22/2022

Grants.gov deadline: 6/14/2022 | JustGrants deadline: 6/21/2022
We encourage you to check out the Applicant Resources section of the site for information and training on writing and submitting an application.
Missing & Murdered Indigenous
Persons Memorial Shawl
The Administration for Native Americans (ANA) offers blessings and words of healing to honor Missing and Murdered Native American victims and raise awareness for this crisis with a remembrance shawl.
For those who want to submit a name to be added to the Administration for Native Americans’ MMNA Shawl, please email: 
Administration for Native Americans - ANA
An Office of the Administration for Children & Families

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
330 C Street, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20201