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The Native Arts and Cultures Foundation (NACF) recently awarded its first grants to 26 American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian artists and organizations. This year's recipients include three Alaska Native artists and three Alaska Native arts and cultural organizations.

The NACF, incorporated in 2007, is a permanently endowed national organization dedicated exclusively to the revitalization, appreciation and perpetuation of Native arts and cultures. This year's grant sizes ranged from $7,000 to $20,000, with a total allocation of $394,319.

The Alaska Native artists and organization grant recipients include: Emily Johnson (Yup'ik) of Minneapolis, Minn.; Sonya Kelliher-Combs (Inupiaq/Athabaskan) of Anchorage; Lisa Telford (Haida) of Everett, Wash.; Alvtiiq Museum and Archeological Repository, Kodiak; Sealaska Heritage Institute, Juneau; and Alaska Native Heritage Center, Anchorage.

Grants were awarded in three categories: "2010 Artistic Innovation - Through the Soul of an Artist," support for individual artists' projects; "2010 Mobilizing the Community Through the Arts," support for community based programming; and "2010 Strengthening the Arts and Cultures Infrastructure."

Johnson's, Kelliher-Combs' and Telford's grants will provide support for their individual artist projects. The Alvtiiq Museum and Archeological Repository and Sealaska Heritage Institute's grants will support community-based programming. The Alaska Native Heritage Center's grant will support the Center's infrastructure needs. The Rasmuson Foundation generously provided a $10,000 match to the Alaska Native Heritage Center bringing the total award to $20,000.

Sealaska Heritage Institute's award of $6,636 will go to support the "Tlingit Paddle Carving Project." The youth education project will target high school students at the Juneau-Douglas High School, ages 15-18, each of whom will design, carve, finish, and publicly display a ceremonial Tlingit paddle during a 12-week period of instruction by Native Alaskan artist, Donald Gregory. Students will learn the protocols of gathering wood, creating designs, and preserving their paddles, thus developing their knowledge of cultural traditions and maintaining vital canoe culture heritage practices.

"It's the NACF's mission to provide financial support to artists and organizations to help our Native cultures flourish," said Lulani Arquette, president and chief executive officer of the NACF. "We look forward to creating opportunities to emphasize the shared values of Native communities, and to receiving applications next year from artists and organizations in all 50 states, and the District of Columbia."

"After years of planning, it's thrilling to embark on our journey to strengthen Native arts and cultures," said Arquette. "The arts have always played a significant role in Native cultures, and are a powerful path for connecting one generation to the next."

To learn more about the NACF and to find out more about all of the grants awarded across the United States, visit www.nativeartsandcultures.org.