Editor’s Note: Updated on 10/9/24 to include a new grant announced by the DOJ.

LUMMI NATION, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – The Lummi Nation is getting support to better penalize domestic and sexual violence.

U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell recently announced that the U.S. Department of Justice awarded nearly $7 million in public safety grants to organizations across Washington.

The Lummi Indian Business Council received the third-largest grant amount of nearly $864,000. The grant will support the tribe in prosecuting domestic and sexual violence, trafficking, stalking, violence against children and more.

Senator Cantwell’s office says the project also aims to help the tribe maintain sovereignty, including when a crime is committed by a non-tribal member on tribal land.

The DOJ also announced $800,000 more in funds for the Lummi Nation for safety planning and shelter for victims of domestic violence.

According to the National Institute for Justice, over half of American Indian and Alaska Native women report experiencing violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime.