The Native American Language Preservation and Maintenance—Esther Martinez Immersion (EMI) Grant is administered by the Administration for Native Americans (ANA) under the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). This grant provides funding for community-based projects that support the continued vitality of Native languages through immersion-based education. The program focuses on the preservation and maintenance of Native American languages by funding projects that establish or strengthen Native American language nests and Native American language survival schools.

Eligible projects must meet the requirements for either Native American language nests (programs providing instruction and child care in a Native American language for children under age seven for at least 500 hours per year) or Native American language survival schools (schools providing at least 500 hours of instruction per year in Native languages for a minimum of 10 school-aged students). These programs must demonstrate a commitment to ensuring the long-term sustainability of Native language instruction. To qualify for funding, applicants must have at least three years of experience operating such programs and must provide official certification of their experience.

The grant opportunity offers $3,000,000 in total funding, with an anticipated four awards to be distributed. The award ceiling is $900,000 per budget period, and the award floor is $100,000. Applicants may propose project periods of 36, 48, or 60 months, with a maximum annual spending limit of $300,000 per year. Projects of 48 or 60 months will receive initial funding for the first 36-month budget period, with remaining funds awarded in subsequent budget periods. A 20% cost-sharing match is required, which can be met through cash or in-kind contributions. However, cost-sharing may be waived up to $199,999 for the governments of American Samoa, Guam, the Virgin Islands, and the Northern Mariana Islands.

Eligible applicants include federally recognized and state-recognized Indian tribes, incorporated non-federally recognized tribes, consortia of tribes, nonprofit multipurpose community-based Indian organizations (including Urban Indian Organizations), Alaska Native villages and organizations, Tribal Colleges and Universities, and public or nonprofit agencies serving Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders. Individuals and foreign entities are not eligible. If the applicant is a nonprofit organization that is not a federally or state-recognized tribe, documentation must be provided showing that the majority of the organization’s board members represent Native American communities.

The application deadline is April 14, 2025, and the expected project start date is July 1, 2025. Applications must be submitted electronically via Grants.gov, and applicants are encouraged to secure SAM.gov and Grants.gov registrations well in advance. Pre-application support is available through ANA regional Training and Technical Assistance Centers, and an on-demand pre-application webinar is also available. Required application materials include a project narrative, line-item budget and budget narrative, objective work plan, letters of support, cost-sharing documentation, and proof of nonprofit status (if applicable).

Applications will be reviewed based on project feasibility, community engagement, organizational capacity, and alignment with ANA's language preservation goals. ANA will not fund projects that primarily focus on technical assistance, feasibility studies, marketing, social services expansion, or projects duplicating existing ANA-funded efforts. Successful applicants must participate in post-award training, annual recipient meetings, and project evaluations. All awardees are required to implement a plan for preserving language materials produced through the project and provide copies for national or regional repositories.

For inquiries, applicants may contact Carmelia Strickland at anacomments@acf.hhs.gov for program-related questions or Tim Chappelle at Tim.chappelle@acf.hhs.gov for grants management inquiries. Additional resources, templates, and tools for applicants are available on the ANA website.