Generations of American Indians and Alaska Natives have mourned missing and murdered loved ones. Their calls for justice and healing through grassroots activism and advocacy have created nationwide attention and increased support for this Missing or Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP) crisis.
Missing or Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW), Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG), Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives (MMIR), or other names specific to a Tribal community (such as Missing and Murdered Diné Relatives, MMDR, in the Navajo Nation) all refer to this crisis.
Increase Community Knowledge About MMIP
Use these resources to educate law enforcement, service providers, media, Tribal, local, and state government, and the broader community on MMIP through social media and email.
Visit our MMIP outreach page for graphics and sample posts to download and share.
Federal Funding for MMIP
Tribal Victim Services Set-Aside (TVSSA) funding is a non-competitive grant award program for federally recognized Tribes. TVSSA grantees award recipients can choose to use their award funds to support the family members of victims of MMIP, including assisting survivors of homicide with burial costs, counseling, and other needs. Additionally, TVSSA grantees can provide support to the family members of missing persons when circumstances indicate that the missing person has been or may be a victim of crime. For example, Tribes can use TVSSA funds to—
- Provide financial assistance, counseling, and other support to the families of missing persons and survivors of homicide.
- Produce billboards, flyers, placards, etc. to generate awareness about individual missing person’s cases, and, in limited circumstances, support costs incidental to a private search.
- Work with a multidisciplinary, interjurisdictional group of Tribal, federal, state, and local stakeholders to create MMIP response protocols.
In addition to TVSSA, there are other federal funding programs available to support the response to MMIP.
Resources
Bringing Loved Ones Home 5-minute educational video
Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women: An Action Plan for Alaska Native Communities
Guide to Developing a Tribal Community Response Plan for Missing Person Cases
Toolkit for Families and Communities
The Not Invisible Act Commission Recommendations
Contact the T-VSTTA team at 833-887-8820 or email [email protected] to learn more about MMIP resources available to you.