Prior Lake, MN – The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community announces a $1 million grant to the Spirit Lake Tribe of North Dakota. The funds will be used for a variety of community improvements and infrastructure development projects.

Four playgrounds will be purchased for the districts of St. Michael and Fort Totten with $346,552. In the previous fiscal year, the SMSC funded playgrounds in the Woodlake and Crowhill Districts. The remaining funds will be used as itemized below:

-$150,000 to replace the HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) system in the tribal headquarters

-$117,448 to the Spirit Lake Emergency Management Program to purchase vehicles for use in responding to natural disasters

-$85,500 to fund the installation of optic wiring in the tribal headquarters

-$77,000 to purchase equipment for the Spirit Lake Refuse Control Program and to clean up the satellite station

-$60,000 to Shunka Wakan Ah-ku (Bringing Back the Horses) to purchase a horse trailer and other equipment for the youth program

-$55,000 to the Fort Totten Wellness Center for roof repair and minor facility repairs

-$40,500 to the Spirit Lake Fire Department to purchase a federally required digital radio system

-$40,000 to purchase equipment for the Sioux Utilities Program

-$17,000 for kitchen appliances to aid in the preparation of meals for the elderly

-$11,500 for architectural and engineering fees for use by the Planning Department

The Spirit Lake Tribe reservation in east central North Dakota was established by treaty between the United States government and the Sisseton Wahpeton Sioux Bands in 1867. The Spirit Lake Nation has more than 6,677 enrolled members living on a reservation which covers 405 square miles in east central North Dakota. The unemployment rate on the reservation hovers near 60%. 

The Spirit Lake Nation owns and operates Spirit Lake Casino & Lodge, Sioux-Per-Propane, Sioux Manufacturing Corporation, Varsity Bags, Spirit Lake Housing Corporation, Four Winds Community School, Spirit Lake Consulting, and Cankdeska Cikana Community College.

Since the year 2000 the SMSC has donated more than $7.6 million to the Spirit Lake Nation for housing, economic development, community improvement, and infrastructure construction.

About the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community

The SMSC utilizes its financial resources from gaming and non-gaming enterprises to pay for the internal infrastructure of the Tribe, including but not limited to roads, water and sewer systems, emergency services, and essential services to its Tribal members in education, health, and welfare. The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community has a charitable giving program which comes from a cultural and social tradition to assist those in need.

Over the past 16 years, the SMSC has donated more than $229.3 million to Indian Tribes, charitable organizations, schools, and Native American organizations. The SMSC has also made more than $396 million in loans to other tribes for economic development projects. Since 1996 the SMSC paid more than $7.5 million for shared local road construction projects and an additional $16.7 million for road projects on the reservation. The SMSC has also paid $12.7 million to local governments for services and another $5 million for other projects.

The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, a federally recognized Indian Tribe in Minnesota, is the owner and operator of Mystic Lake Casino Hotel, Little Six Casino, Mazopiya, Playworks, Dakotah! Sport and Fitness, The Meadows at Mystic Lake, Shakopee Dakota Convenience Stores, and other enterprises on a reservation south of the Twin Cities.