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The Cherokee Nation has awarded $1.87 million through its 2026 Public Health and Wellness Partners Grant program to more than 30 recipients across the reservation, including several local communities.

Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. and Deputy Chief Bryan Warner announced the competitive grant awards, which will support initiatives in communities across the reservation, including projects in Washington, Nowata and Tulsa counties in Oklahoma, as well as Montgomery County, Kansas.

Among the local recipients, the City of Skiatook will receive $86,500 to construct an emergency communications tower designed to improve communications for police, fire, emergency medical services and 911 dispatch.

"The tower will support our police, fire, EMS, and 911 communications by providing a dedicated communications infrastructure designed to meet both our current needs and future growth," said Tiarr Wakefield, the city's E911 director of communications. "This investment is about more than infrastructure — it's about ensuring that when someone calls 911, first responders have dependable communications that allow them to respond quickly, coordinate effectively, and serve our community safely."

South Coffeyville Public Schools was awarded $55,000 to expand a community courtyard with amenities that could include pickleball courts, a walking track or an outdoor classroom.

The Coffeyville Fire Department received just over $44,000 to replace its self-contained breathing apparatus air compressor and install a modern on-site fill station.

Dewey Elementary School's Parent-Teacher Organization will receive $31,660 to install a shade structure over the school's playground.

The Public Health and Wellness Partners Grant program launched in 2025 to expand access to projects that promote health and wellness throughout the Cherokee Nation Reservation. This year's awards mark the program's second funding cycle.

"Our Public Health and Wellness team received so many great applications again this year to further the cause of public health in our communities, which Deputy Chief and I know are so consequential, especially in communities that often lack resources for these types of projects," Hoskin said. "These grants are an investment in healthy living, and they are investments through which we will see a great return for many generations to come."

The program is funded through the tribe's Public Health and Wellness Fund Act, legislation proposed by Hoskin and Warner and approved by the Cherokee Nation Council in 2021. The law dedicates 10% of revenue generated by the tribe's health system to public health and wellness programs.

Warner said the grants reflect the Cherokee value of Gadugi, or working together for the benefit of the community.

"These projects embody the spirit of Gadugi, the Cherokee word for 'working together,' in action for the wellbeing of our citizens," Warner said. "We will all be eager to see how these dollars make a positive local impact."

Deputy Secretary of State Canaan Duncan said the grant program will continue in the tribe's next fiscal year.

"Part of the key to our prosperity is that we share our resources with our friends and neighbors," Duncan said. "Nonprofits and other eligible entities can look forward to the Public Health and Wellness Partners grant returning next year for even more impactful changes."