Grotto Foundation Approves New Native American Language Revitalization Initiative 

The Grotto Foundation board of directors has approved a new 15-year funding initiative that will focus on helping to restore and revitalize the use of Native American language. The $5.6 million initiative will represent 30 percent of the St. Paul-based foundation's total grantmaking dollars during that time period.

William Randall, president of Grotto, said the initiative demonstrates the foundation's long-term commitment to Native American language revitalization. "It's taken 200 years for Ojibwe and Dakota languages to erode to the point of becoming endangered languages," he said. "To restore these languages to everyday use will not happen overnight." One of Grotto's strategic goals its to increase public understanding of American cultural heritage, the cultures of nations, and the individual's responsibility to fellow human beings.

Ojibwe language is on the brink of becoming an endangered language according to the Endangered Language Fund, an international group that tracks worldwide language loss. Linguists predict that only 20 Native languages will survive the next 50 years.

"The Grotto board's action sends a clear message to language activists that they have a partner who will support their efforts into the future," said Margaret "Peg" Thomas, Grotto's executive director. "We do not see this as supporting a fad or some romantic notion of old timeyness, but rather, because kids who learn their heritage language do better academically."

Grotto Foundation staff and consultants researched Native language loss for the past two years and have incorporated their findings into the new funding initiative. The initiative includes three strategic areas of funding: Community and Organizational Capacity Building, including assessments of language use and proficiency; Best Practices, which centers around a variety of language immersion programs; and Creating Positive Language Environments, which will fund innovative curriculum, media and marketing campaigns.

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