Alaska Native Villages and Regional Native Nonprofits Received Over $3 Billion in Funding from Multiple Federal Agencies, with HHS the Largest Single Provider of Funding

Based on our analysis of information from FAADS, 17 federal agencies  provided about $3.5 billion in federal funding to Alaska Native villages and  regional Native nonprofits—ANCSA regional nonprofits, regional health  nonprofits, and regional housing authorities—from 1998 through 2003. For  example, only 13 out of 216 Native villages received 38 percent of total  federal funding to Native villages. Specifically, funds from these programs were used to provide Alaska  Natives with assistance in health care, housing, infrastructure, and other  areas such as education and community development. The extent of readily available information on how  funds from these programs were used varied, partly because of different  reporting requirements and partly due to different efforts to summarize  individual grantee data. HHS’s Indian Health Service (IHS) awards self-governance funding to 13  regional Native health care nonprofits, three Native villages, one statewide  Native health care provider, and four groups of between two and seven  Alaska Native villages, to provide health care services to Alaska Natives. For example, in  2003, the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium used a total of $2.7  million from the commission’s health facilities program to build a health  clinic in Toksook Bay (the location of the Nunakauyarmiut Tribe). Alaska Native Villages and Regional Housing Authorities Constructed More Than 800 and Rehabilitated Almost 3,000 Homes, and the Number and Costs of Completed Units Varied across Regions

Results from our survey of Alaska Native villages and regional housing  authorities indicated that, from calendar years 1998 through 2003, these  entities constructed 874 single-family units and rehabilitated 2,990 single- family units. Regional housing authorities’ average cost for all units constructed  was $236,229 per unit or $189 per square foot, compared with villages,  which had an average cost per unit of $180,338 or $160 per square foot. Several Factors May Account for Differences in the Number and Cost of Units Constructed and Rehabilitated by Villages and Housing Authorities and by Region

As previously discussed, the number of units constructed and rehabilitated  over the period varied by whether they were completed by villages or  housing authorities, and by region. According to federal and tribal officials  and documentation, the following factors could account for these  differences:   Differences in housing goals and objectives. Scope and Methodology

This study’s objectives were to (1) provide information on the amount of  federal assistance to Alaska Native villages during federal fiscal years 1998  through 2003; (2) describe how selected federal funds have been used to  assist Alaska Native villages; and (3) provide data on the number and  average cost of houses built by villages and Alaska Native regional housing  authorities. Also, GAO’s FAADS analyses uses  constant 2003 dollars. The State of Alaska Passed Through Federal Funding to Native Villages, Regional Native Nonprofits, Cities, and Boroughs

Based on our analysis of data from the state of Alaska, the state passed  through more than $105 million in federal funds to Alaska Native villages  and regional Native nonprofits for state fiscal years 1998 through 2003. Program Summary for the Department of Health and Human Services

Subagency: Indian Health Service. Program name: Indian Housing Block Grant. assistance! 1. 6.
Why GAO Did This Study

This report responds to section 112, Division B, of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2004, which directs GAO to review federal programs benefiting rural communities in Alaska. After discussions with congressional staff, GAO agreed to examine federal programs benefiting Alaska Native villages. Specifically, this report (1) provides information on the amount of federal assistance provided to Alaska Native villages during fiscal years 1998 through 2003, (2) describes how selected federal funds have been used to assist Alaska Native villages, and (3) provides data on the number and average cost of houses built by villages and Alaska Native regional housing authorities.

What GAO Found

GAO's analysis of available data indicates that Alaska Native villages and regional Native nonprofits--including Native associations, and regional health and housing nonprofits--received over $3 billion in federal assistance from fiscal years 1998 through 2003. Specifically, total federal funding included approximately $483 million to 216 Alaska Native villages and about $3 billion to 33 regional Native nonprofits. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) accounted for 63 percent of all funding over the period. According to federal and state officials, Alaska Native villages also likely benefited from federal funding to the state of Alaska and to cities and boroughs that contain villages, such as when federal funding is used by municipalities to provide water services. Based on data GAO obtained from the state of Alaska, during fiscal years 1998 through 2003, the state passed through more than $105 million in federal funding to Native villages and regional Native nonprofits. Based on available information for 13 programs GAO reviewed, federal funding was used to provide Alaska Natives with assistance in health care, housing, infrastructure, and other areas. For example, according to information from HHS, its Tribal Self-Governance Program was used by 13 regional Native nonprofits, three Native villages, four groups of Alaska Native villages, and one statewide Native health care provider to provide clinical services at tribally run hospitals and health clinics that had over 1 million total visits throughout Alaska in 2002. Another program, HUD's Indian Housing Block Grant, provided funds used by villages and regional housing authorities to build, rehabilitate, modernize, and operate single-family homes and multifamily housing properties. However, the extent of readily available information on how funds were used from the 13 programs GAO reviewed varied, in part due to different agency reporting requirements. Results from GAO's survey of Alaska Native villages and regional housing authorities indicated that, during calendar years 1998 through 2003, responding entities constructed a total of 874 single-family units. GAO's survey indicated that the average cost of units constructed by responding entities varied by region and by whether they were developed by villages or housing authorities. For example, the 6-year average regional cost (in 2003 dollars) of all units constructed ranged from a low of $138,944 per unit, or $122 per square foot, to a high of $305,634 per unit, or $267 per square foot. GAO also found that the cost of new housing units developed by housing authorities was slightly higher than units developed by Native villages, and that regional housing authorities constructed more than three times the number of units compared with villages. However, various factors could account for differences in the cost and number of units completed among regions or between villages and regional housing authorities.