Snapshots

~ ~ 25 Years Ago ~ ~

January 21, 1999

Reservation Named As Enterprise Community

Vice-President Al Gore announced on January 13th that The Fort Peck Indian Reservation had been designated as an Enterprise Community by the federal government.

Winning the Enterprise Community status, a process that required a community- wide effort to prepare the grant proposal, means that $250,000 in grants for economic development will be made available on the reservation. Over the next ten years, the Fort Peck Enterprise Community will be eligible for a share of $150 million in proposed federal grants, along with federal tax incentives to help spur economic growth.

The coalition that assembled the grant proposal, headed by the Fort Peck Community College, originally hoped to win recognition as an Empowerment Zone. This status, which has only been granted to eight areas in the United States, makes the communities eligible for $40 million in Community Social Service Block Grants, along with wage credits for employers and increased deductions under section 179 of the Internal Revenue Code.

The Fort Peck Reservation joins 50 other communities that enjoy Enterprise Community status.