Tribe gaming funds to aid local projects

The Gila River Indian Community on Tuesday earmarked $250,000 in gaming revenue money to refurbish a structure at Steele Indian School Park and fund Phoenix programs that fight hunger and violent crime.

The funding comes from Prop. 202, the 2002 voter-approved initiative which requires Arizona tribal communities to share with towns, cities and counties 12 percent of their annual contribution to the state. The funds are used to address the negative effects of gambling and promote economic development.

Local governments recommend programs, services and capital projects for funding, though tribal communities make the final decision.

For 2008, the Gila River Indian Community is providing St. Mary's Food Bank Alliance with a $100,000 contribution, part of a $300,000 three-year grant, for the non-profit group's Ending Hunger, Changing Lives Capital Campaign.

The Gila River Indian Community also is awarding the Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department $125,000 to restore the inside of the 1900s-era Dining Hall at Steele Indian School Park.

And it's giving nearly $26,000 to the Phoenix Family Advocacy Center to pay for counseling services for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and other crimes.

On average, the Gila River Indian Community gives about $5 million a year to local agencies and organizations. Other grants this year include $1 million for the expansion of the Chandler Regional Hospital, $300,000 for the Arizona Meth Project and $25,000 for Tempe's Fitness on the Move project.