Herring Pond Wampanoag Tribe Cultural Council (HPWTCC)
The Herring Pond Wampanoag Cultural Council supports programs that strengthen Wampanoag cultural practice, community wellness, and intergenerational learning. Our council works to protect and uplift the cultural lifeways of our people by encouraging projects that honor language, traditional arts, Tribal history, and place-based education.
We support opportunities that help our citizens connect with the land, deepen cultural knowledge, and celebrate the teachings passed down through our families.
The council values programs that bring youth and elders together, encourage community gatherings, and highlight the work of Tribal cultural practitioners. We prioritize initiatives that reflect cultural sovereignty, promote understanding of our history, and strengthen the identity of the Wampanoag Nation.
Through this work, we aim to ensure that cultural knowledge, stories, and traditions continue to grow within our community and remain accessible to future generations.
Our goal is to support meaningful cultural experiences that build pride, connection, and continuity for our people, while also welcoming opportunities that help our neighbors learn about the history and living culture of the Herring Pond Wampanoag Tribe.
Priority One: Cultural Sovereignty and Protection
Projects that strengthen Wampanoag cultural sovereignty, protect traditional knowledge, and support Tribal led cultural practice. This includes language, arts, seasonal lifeways, ceremonies, and land-based teachings.
Priority Two: Intergenerational Cultural Transmission
Programs that create meaningful cultural pathways between elders, knowledge keepers, and youth. This includes mentorship, apprenticeships, language learning, traditional arts, and community wellness rooted in cultural practice.
Priority Three: Tribal Led History, Storytelling, and Place Based Education
Initiatives that accurately teach, preserve, or interpret Herring Pond Wampanoag history, homelands, oral traditions, and community stories through Tribal voices and Tribal leadership.
Priority Four: Cultural Practitioners, Artists, and Knowledge Holders
Support for Wampanoag cultural practitioners, artists, language teachers, and tradition bearers who carry and share cultural knowledge. This includes workshops, demonstrations, cultural instruction, and community engagement.
Priority Five: Community Cultural Gatherings and Shared Cultural Experience
Projects that bring Tribal citizens together through cultural activities, gatherings, shared learning, and community building that deepen cultural identity and strengthen Tribal connection.
Priority Six: Cultural Infrastructure and Capacity Building
Programs that build Tribal cultural capacity, improve cultural spaces, support cultural materials and tools, or expand access to cultural resources needed for long term cultural preservation.
Priority Seven: Land, Water, and Environmental Cultural Stewardship
Initiatives that connect cultural practice to land and water stewardship, traditional ecological knowledge, and the protection of culturally significant places within Herring Pond homelands.
Contact
Melissa Ferretti/Rebecca Silverbrand
[email protected]
508-304-5023
https://www.herringpondtribe.org
Address
128 Herring Pond Rd
Plymouth, MA 02360-1953
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Application Information
FY27 Allocation
$17,800
FY27 Local Priorities
HPWT Cultural Council Funding Priorities
Priority One: Cultural Sovereignty and Protection
Projects that strengthen Wampanoag cultural sovereignty, protect traditional knowledge, and support Tribal led cultural practice. This includes language, arts, seasonal lifeways, ceremonies, and land-based teachings.
Priority Two: Intergenerational Cultural Transmission
Programs that create meaningful cultural pathways between elders, knowledge keepers, and youth. This includes mentorship, apprenticeships, language learning, traditional arts, and community wellness rooted in cultural practice.
Priority Three: Tribal Led History, Storytelling, and Place Based Education
Initiatives that accurately teach, preserve, or interpret Herring Pond Wampanoag history, homelands, oral traditions, and community stories through Tribal voices and Tribal leadership.
Priority Four: Cultural Practitioners, Artists, and Knowledge Holders
Support for Wampanoag cultural practitioners, artists, language teachers, and tradition bearers who carry and share cultural knowledge. This includes workshops, demonstrations, cultural instruction, and community engagement.
Priority Five: Community Cultural Gatherings and Shared Cultural Experience
Projects that bring Tribal citizens together through cultural activities, gatherings, shared learning, and community building that deepen cultural identity and strengthen Tribal connection.
Priority Six: Cultural Infrastructure and Capacity Building
Programs that build Tribal cultural capacity, improve cultural spaces, support cultural materials and tools, or expand access to cultural resources needed for long term cultural preservation.
Priority Seven: Land, Water, and Environmental Cultural Stewardship
Initiatives that connect cultural practice to land and water stewardship, traditional ecological knowledge, and the protection of culturally significant places within Herring Pond homelands.
FY27 Local Guidelines
These policies ensure that TCC funds are distributed equitably, support a wide range of Tribal citizens, and prevent misuse of the program.
Review Criteria:
Cultural Integrity and Accuracy
How well the project reflects Wampanoag cultural values, Tribal priorities, and accurate cultural representation.
Tribal Leadership and Participation
The level of involvement by Tribal citizens, Tribal cultural practitioners, or Tribal departments in planning, leading, or implementing the project.
Community Benefit and Cultural Impact
How the project strengthens cultural identity, supports community wellness, and provides lasting benefit to the Herring Pond Wampanoag community.
Feasibility, Readiness, and Cultural Safety
Clear planning, realistic budgeting, secured venue or location, and demonstrated ability to deliver cultural work in a culturally safe and respectful manner.
Long Term Cultural Continuity
Whether the project contributes to ongoing cultural preservation, future cultural programming, or sustained community engagement.
Feasibility and Readiness
Clear planning, realistic budgeting, secured venue or location, and demonstrated ability to deliver the proposed cultural work.
Sustainability and Continuity
Whether the project contributes to long term cultural preservation, ongoing community engagement, or future cultural programming.
1. One Application Per Person Per Cycle
To ensure fairness and prevent over-use of the system:
• Each applicant may submit only one application per grant cycle. • Multiple applications submitted by the same individual—under their own name or through affiliated entities—will be automatically disqualified.
This prevents situations like last year, when one person submitted five applications.
2. To ensure fair access to limited Tribal Cultural Council funds, individuals who received a TCC grant in the previous cycle may be asked to wait one full grant cycle before applying again. However, based on available funding and demonstrated need, the TCC may allow an applicant to be considered without waiting, at the discretion of the TCC.
3. Tribal Officers and Council Members Are Not Eligible
To avoid conflicts of interest and protect the integrity of the program:
• Tribal Officers, Tribal Council members, and anyone in a leadership or decision-making role may not apply for TCC grants. • Immediate family members of Officers or Council members may apply.
This keeps the process clean and avoids even the appearance of favoritism.
4. Good-Faith Participation Requirement
Applicants must engage in the program in good faith. Abuse includes:
· Submitting multiple applications under different names
· Using Tribal identity or resources without authorization
· Attempting to influence the review process
· Repeatedly requesting exceptions or special treatment
Any abuse may result in disqualification for the current and future cycles.
5. Clear Review and Enforcement Process
· Staff or reviewers flag potential abuse.
· The TCC reviews the concern at the next meeting.
· The applicant receives written notice of the decision.
· Decisions are final for that cycle.
This gives you a clean, documented process to fall back on.
6. Our Commitment
We want to support as many Tribal citizens as possible. These policies are not meant to restrict creativity or cultural expression, they are meant to protect fairness, prevent misuse, and ensure that limited funds reach a wide range of community members, not just a few
7. Awardee Acceptance Requirement
It is expected that awardees confirm acceptance of their grant within forty-five days from the date of the award email. Confirmation must include acknowledgment of the award, verification that all required documents have been received, and agreement to comply with all Tribal Cultural Council reporting and program requirements. If an awardee does not respond within forty-five days, the Council will reach out the grantee to assess if the program is going to take place and may rescind the award and reallocate funds in the following fiscal year grant cycle.
Grant Modification and Extension Policy
Our Local Cultural Council recognizes that projects sometimes need adjustments. To support clear communication and fair administration, we have established the following policies for modification and extension requests.
1. Eligibility for Modifications
Grantees may request a modification if:
· The project date needs to shift
· The project location changes
· The project scope or format requires adjustment
· The budget needs to be updated due to partial funding or unforeseen circumstances
All modifications must remain consistent with the original intent of the approved proposal.
2. Eligibility for Extensions
Grantees may request an extension if:
· Additional time is needed to complete the project
· A delay occurs due to circumstances outside the grantee’s control
· The project is still feasible and aligned with the original purpose
Extensions are generally limited to one per grant cycle, unless exceptional circumstances apply.
3. How to Request a Modification or Extension
Requests must be submitted in writing before the project deadline and must include:
· Grantee name and project title
· A clear explanation of the requested change
· The reason for the modification or extension
· Updated dates, locations, or budget details (if applicable)
Requests should be emailed to the Council Chair or submitted through the contact information listed on our Council Profile.
4. Review Process
· The Council will review requests at the next scheduled meeting or through an authorized vote between meetings.
· Decisions will be based on feasibility, alignment with the original proposal, and compliance with Mass Cultural Council guidelines.
· Grantees will receive written confirmation of approval or denial.
5. Important Notes
· Funds cannot be used for a substantially different project than the one approved.
· Requests submitted after the project deadline may not be considered.
· If a modification or extension is not approved, the grant may be subject to cancellation
How Grant Recipients Are Paid
Direct Grants
FY26 Funding List
| Name | Project Title | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Ayala, Alberto | Sacred Parenting Classes | $500 | Bayliss, Rachel | Sacred Parenting Program | $500 | Gaines, Andre R. | Deer Hide Workshop | $1,000 | Hunt, Morgan | Bottle-Neck Gourd Doll Workshop | $1,218 | Lauzon, jill | Herring Pond Veterans Banner Project | $1,000 | Middleborough Tourism Committee | Herring Run Festival | $1,000 | Pinewoods Camp, Inc. | Nature Nook Expansion & More | $800 | Seven Sisters Collective, Inc. | Water Is Sacred – Assonet Well Pump & Water Drums | $1,000 | Vargas, Tannisha (Tish) | Shared Humanity | $750 | Wopanaak Language and Cultural Weetyoo, Inc. | Wôpanâak Immersion & Language Resources | $2,000 |