Lower Brule Sioux Tribe To Receive Shakopee Mdewakanton Grant

Prior Lake, MN – The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community today announced a $1 million grant to the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe of South Dakota for economic development and community improvement projects.

Specifically, the grant will fund:

-$350,000 for consultants to complete feasibilities studies and preliminary planning for a new casino at Oacoma

-$300,000 for an after-school youth and young adult employment program

-$200,000 to the Boys & Girls Club for operations and management

-$100,000 for improvements on a tribal campground, for a tribal handmade craft company Sung Maka Ska, and the Buffalo Interpretive Center

-$50,000 for a Veteran’s Memorial

“Your generosity is greatly appreciated,” wrote Chairman Michael B. Jandreau, Chairman of the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe in the request letter.

Over the past three years, the SMSC funded $3 million in grants for projects including Lakota Foods, the West Brule Recreational Youth Center, the ambulance program, and for construction of a new convenience store in West Brule. In 2008 the SMSC donated a floor of furniture from Mystic Lake Casino Hotel.

The Lower Brule Sioux Tribe is part of the Oceti Sakowin, the Seven Council Fires of the Dakota Nation. The Lower Brule Sioux Tribe, also known as the Kul Wicasa Oyate, is located along the Missouri River in central South Dakota on the Native American Scenic Byway. It is approximately 60 miles southeast of Pierre, South Dakota. Reservation population is 2,600 on a total area of 221,646 acres in Lyman and Stanley Counties. The Lower Brule owns and operates the Golden Buffalo Casino and Motel which features 175 slot machines and two table games. Facilities include a conference center, a dance floor, a restaurant and a 38-room motel. The Casino employs 50 people.

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 members in education, health, and well-being. A tribal charitable giving program which comes from a cultural and social tradition to assist those in need has given away more than $243.5 million to Indian Tribes, charitable organizations, and schools since 1996. Through the Mdewakanton LIFE Program, the SMSC has donated 746 Automated External Defibrillators to tribes, schools, police and fire departments, and other organizations with 18 lives successfully saved due to their use.

The SMSC has also made more than $450 million in loans to other tribes for economic and infrastructure development projects. Since 1996 the SMSC paid more than $7.5 million for shared local road construction and an additional $16.7 million for road projects on the reservation. The SMSC has also paid $13.1 million to local governments for services and another $6.4 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, The Meadows at Mystic Lake, and other enterprises on a reservation south of the Twin Cities.