Funding Opportunities Available to Support Tribal Self-Governance Planning and Negotiation Activities

The funding opportunities for the Fiscal Year 2024 Tribal Self-Governance Planning and Negotiation Cooperative Agreements, administered by the Office of Tribal Self-Governance, are now available and published in the Federal Register. The deadline to apply is February 19, 2024, for both the Planning Cooperative Agreement and the Negotiation Cooperative Agreement.

These annual IHS cooperative agreement awards support tribes and tribal organizations with the planning and preparation necessary to assume responsibility for providing health care to their tribal members through the Tribal Self-Governance Program. This program is an expression of the nation-to-nation relationship between the United States and tribes. Strong federal-tribal partnerships are critical to the program’s success. Through the program, tribes have the option to assume IHS program funds and manage them to best fit the needs of their tribal communities.

Planning Cooperative Agreement

The Planning Cooperative Agreement assists tribes with the planning phase of the self-governance program, which includes legal and budgetary research, internal tribal government planning, and organization preparation relating to the administration of health care programs. The Planning Cooperative Agreements are for a one-year period and individual award amounts are anticipated to be $180,000, with approximately five awards issued.

The planning phase is critical to negotiations and helps tribes make informed decisions about which programs, services, functions, and activities (PSFAs) to assume and what organizational changes or modifications are necessary to successfully support them. A thorough planning phase improves timeliness and efficient negotiations and ensures that the tribe is fully prepared to assume the transfer of IHS PSFAs to the tribal health program.

Negotiation Cooperative Agreement

The Negotiation Cooperative Agreement assists tribes to defray the costs related to preparing for and conducting self-governance program negotiations. Negotiations provide an opportunity for the tribal and federal negotiation teams to work together in good faith to enhance each self-governance agreement. The Negotiation Cooperative Agreements are for a one-year period and individual award amounts are anticipated to be $84,000, with approximately five awards issued.

For more information regarding the Fiscal Year 2024 Cooperative Agreements, please contact Jessaka Nakai or Roxanne Houston at 301-443-7821.

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