TTBP Awarded Federal Grant to Train the Next Generation of Iyane'e Caretakers
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TEXAS TRIBAL BUFFALO PROJECT RECEIVES FEDERAL GRANT TO LAUNCH FIRST INDIGENOUS-LED WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM IN TEXAS
Floresville, TX — The Texas Tribal Buffalo Project (TTBP), the first Native woman-led bison ranch and nonprofit in Texas, has been awarded a Social and Economic Development Strategies (SEDS) grant from the U.S. Administration for Native Americans (ANA). This three-year award will fund the launch of the first Indigenous-led, land-based workforce development program in Texas, rooted in Buffalo restoration, regenerative agriculture, and traditional food systems.
Anchored on TTBP's 150-acre working ranch in Floresville, Texas, the program will train Native youth and adults in regenerative agriculture, butchery, food systems leadership, and Indigenous enterprise. By the end of the three-year period, the program aims to certify at least 20 participants with an Applied Certificate in Regenerative Agriculture and Butchery — equipping them with job-ready, culturally grounded skills for careers in the regenerative food and agriculture sector.
"We applied three times, each cycle bringing us closer. On our fourth try, we were awarded, and four carries deep meaning for us. We hold this with great gratitude and responsibility, rooted as the Buffalo nation of the south," said Lucille Contreras, Founder and CEO of the Texas Tribal Buffalo Project. "Our grant writer showed the perseverance and fortitude the Buffalo teach us. Together with Deputy Director Izel Lopez and our entire TTBP staff family, we step into our place as Iyane'e caretakers, teachers, and workforce developers."
TTBP's approach centers the cultural values and ecological knowledge of Texas Indigenous Lineal Descendants (TILD). The initiative directly responds to systemic barriers that have long excluded Indigenous peoples from land-based economies, including displacement, cultural suppression, and lack of workforce access, findings documented in the 2024 Texas Indigenous Data Sovereignty Study. The program will be designed to be scalable and replicable, offering a model for other Native communities rebuilding intergenerational connections to land, culture, and economic opportunity.
The ANA SEDS program supports community-driven projects designed to grow local economies, strengthen Native American families, and preserve Native American cultures. TTBP joins a growing network of ANA recipients advancing Indigenous self-sufficiency across the country.
About the Texas Tribal Buffalo Project
The Texas Tribal Buffalo Project (TTBP) is a Lipan Apache-rooted, women-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Floresville, Texas. TTBP is the first Native woman-led bison ranch and nonprofit in Texas, stewarding 150 acres through a rematriation framework that honors Buffalo as relatives, centers Indigenous leadership, and advances food sovereignty, regenerative land practices, and cultural continuity on the Southern Plains.
Learn more: www.texastribalbuffaproject.org