Minnesota tribe to donate $6 million for physical health programs for Native children

Native American children across Minnesota will see a multimillion-dollar investment in fitness options, thanks to a donation from the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community.

The tribe announced at a Thursday news conference that it’s pledging $6 million over the next three years toward projects focused on physical health for young Native people statewide.

Ashley Cornforth, SMSC secretary and treasurer, said one aim of the campaign is to reduce health disparities between Native American young people and other racial groups.

Standing behind a lectern at the Minneapolis American Indian Center, Cornforth ticked off a bevy of problems that plague today’s kids and teenagers — from excessive screen time to mental health issues to obesity to substance abuse.

“Too many children today don’t get enough physical activity,” Cornforth said. “We believe it is important for our tribe to dedicate ourselves to helping ensure the good health of future generations of Native people.”

The philanthropic campaign, called IndigeFit Kids, will kick off with a $1.5 million cash infusion to KABOOM! The Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit will study “playspaces” in 11 Native communities in Minnesota before building five new facilities with the financial assistance of SMSC, CEO Lysa Ratliff said.

The tribe is also granting $500,000 to the Johns Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health, furnishing the group with resources to conduct a two-year study assessing obstacles and opportunities for promoting health among Native youth. Representing the center were its co-directors, Melissa Walls and Donald Warne.

Walls, who directs the center’s Great Lakes Hub in Duluth, said the study aims to address what she described as “data genocide” — the erasure or omission of information pertaining to Native Americans from public health studies. That can lead to a dearth of badly needed resources allocated to Native communities from outside organizations, academics have argued.

“A representative study of our youth is historically needed,” Walls said. “We’re going to work hard to make sure that we do acknowledge the beautiful diversity of our tribal peoples in this state.”

IndigeFit Kids will also partner with the Minnesota Vikings to expand team sports opportunities for Native kids, with more details about that project emerging in the future, said Lester Bagley, the football team’s executive vice president of public affairs.

SMSC Vice Chairwoman Natasha Hacker said the three-year campaign will invest in a range of causes: research that unspools the root causes of health issues; grants to outside organizations for athletic opportunities for Native kids and teens, gardening and dance programs, and advocacy for policies that promote physical health, among other efforts.

“The IndigeFit Kids campaign is rooted in our tribe’s commitment to helping others,” Hacker said.

The tribe, which says it’s Scott County’s largest employer, frequently invests in community causes. The SMSC helped fund the American Indian Center’s recent renovation, said Mary LaGarde, the center’s executive director.

And in 2019, tribal leaders announced a $5 million campaign to boost understanding of Native American history and culture in schools. That initiative, Understand Native Minnesota, funded grants, research, curriculum and workshops for teachers across the state before wrapping up last year.