UTE MOUNTAIN UTE TRIBE TIWAHE PROGRAM
Executive Summary
According to tribal histories, the Ute people have lived in the mountains and vast areas of present-day Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Arizona since the beginning of time. Today, the Ute are divided among three reservations, the Uintah-Ouray in northeastern Utah, the Southern Ute in Colorado, and the Ute Mountain Ute in Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico. Sharing common heritage and ancestry, but separated by hundreds of miles, the three Ute groups have established separate “sister tribes” that are independently governed but coordinate to support all Ute whenever possible.
Like many tribal communities nationwide, the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe reservation reports high levels of poverty, low levels of education, and unemployment rates that double state averages. Teen birth rates are among the highest in the nation, addiction and behavioral health challenges are serious social ills, and the average life expectancy continues to hover at just 55 years. The 2,100 UMUT members face a severe housing shortage, and a shortage of water, healthy food, quality healthcare, educational opportunities, and high paying jobs. The Ute Mountain Ute Tribe believes that the most effective and sustainable pathway towards a brighter future is the reclamation of the rich and nuanced traditions, history, and language of the Ute People.
To proactively seek partnership and funding to address deep-rooted economic and social challenges, UMUT hosted the first-ever Ute Mountain Ute Tribe Native National Partnership Retreat in 2015, bringing state, federal and private funding partners together to understand the comprehensive needs of the Tribe and help refine tribally designed solutions to align with current funding opportunities. Forty funding partners attended the event, and UMUT has leveraged their active participation into more than $140 million in new grants over the past eight years.
As recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic continues to realign priorities and needs, it was time again to meet and coordinate with state, federal, and private partners.
NUCHU: Planning Our Vision was held in August 2023, with over 50 funding partners in attendance. The two-day event allowed UMUT leadership and tribal members to explain current priorities and potential strategies. Together, the assembled group of tribal representatives, funding partners, and consultants brainstormed opportunities to sustainably blend need and opportunity while honoring and respecting tribal culture and traditions. UMUT hopes to generate $240 million in new funding over the next five years as a result of this important work. If you have funding opportunities that could help meet the needs of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe please contact:
Juanita PlentyHoles, Program Director | jplentyholes@utemountain.org | 970-238-6400
Bernadette Cuthair, Planning Director | bcuthair@utemountain.org | 970-238-0129
Beverly Santicola, Grant Writer | bevsanticola@outlook.com | 281-224-1443
Background
The Ute Mountain Ute Tribe’s reservation is in Montezuma County, Colorado and San Juan County, Utah. The Ute Mountain Ute people have lived on this land for over 100 years. Today, the homelands for the Weeminuche, or Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, total about 600,000 acres. The tribal lands are on what’s known as the Colorado Plateau, a high desert area with deep canyons carved through the mesas. Towaoc is secreted away southwest of Mesa Verde National Park and northeast of scenic Monument Valley. Ute Mountain Ute Tribe (UMUT) has a membership of about 2,100. Most Tribal members live on the reservation in Towaoc, with a smaller population in the White Mesa community. This is a harsh, isolated land, with no nearby cities to provide specialty services for the
residents living on tribal lands. There is a severe housing shortage, widespread poverty, a shortage of water, healthy food, quality healthcare and educational opportunities and high paying jobs. Over 40% of the population live in poverty and the average life expectancy is only 55 years in comparison to 76 years in the United States. The purpose of the 2023 Ute Mountain Ute Tribe Native National Partnership Retreat called NUCHU: Planning Our Vision was to build relationships with state, federal, and private funding partners to help identify resources to address these challenges. Eight major capital projects were prioritized and planned to be “shovel ready” in preparation for funding opportunities that will become available in the next five years.
As part of the former Obama-Biden Administration’s commitment to protect and promote the development of prosperous and resilient tribal communities, the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) received funding in Fiscal Year 2015 (FY15) to support and implement a program called the Tiwahe Initiative. In 2015, the BIA offered (4) tribal communities an opportunity to participate in the Tiwahe Initiative. Each Tiwahe Initiative site was given the financial and administrative resources to develop a coordinated service delivery model centered on the needs of the family and community. The Ute Mountain Ute Tribe was selected to participate. That same year, the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe launched a Native National Partnership Retreat – we called “Walking in Our Moccasins” which provided a roadmap for the future and generated over $140M in new funding for the
Tribe. In 2023, we held our second Retreat called NUCHU: PLANNING OUR VISION with 50 funding partners to create a roadmap for the next 5 years and plans to generate $240M more in funding for the Tribe including the continuation of the Tiwahe Initiative. Juanita PleantyHoles, Tiwahe Director, has served in a leadership role with the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe’s Tiwahe Initiate sinces 2015. The vision of the UMUT Tiwahe Initiative (branded Tour de Ute – A Journey of Wellness, is to grow a new generation of Native Amerian leaders by cultivating cultural values, self-sufficienty and commitment to family. Of the eight major goals established at the NUCHU: Planning Our Vision Native National Partnership Retreat August 1-3, 2023, the UMUT Tiwahe Initiative is focusing on two: Education and Housing.
Chairman Manuel Heart
Manuel Heart is a cattle rancher and the current Chairman of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, devoted to preserving and protecting 600,000 acres of homelands for 2,100 Weeminuche people. Chairman Heart was re-elected on November 4, 2022, having been elected by the Nuchu people eight times and serving a total of 26 years in various capacities. Chairman Heart is now serving on the Tribal Interior Budget Council, Water Committees for the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, Colorado Commission of Indian Affairs and Utah Tribal Leaders. Heart has held other prestigious leadership positions in the National Congress of American Indians, Colorado Commission Indian Affairs, Four Corners Monument, Brunot Commission and Weeminuche Construction Company – where he managed over $500 million in projects. Since 2015, Chairman Heart increased grant funding by 90% through a seven-step fund development strategy he inspired called Walking in Our Moccasins and has generated more than $157 million in new funding for broadband, economic development, education, healthcare, housing, renewable energy, social services, transportation and water. In 2019 and 2021 Heart opened doors to the Kwiyagat Community Academy (KCA) for elementary children and Mógúán Behavioral Health Center. In addition, he led the tribe safely through COVID-19 and implemented an aggressive recovery and resiliency plan that includes a grocery store, workforce innovation center and internet service provider to be completed in 2025.
Juanita PlentyHoles, Tiwahe Director
Juanita PlentyHoles is former Ute Mountain Ute Tribal Council Vice President, and current Tiwahe Director for the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe overseeing a holistic system of care that braids grant programs and tribal programs together for coordinated service delivery. Juanita PlentyHoles served as an elected official to the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe’s Council from 2011 to 2018 in various capacities including Treasurer and Vice Chair. Juanita holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business Administration from Ft. Lewis College. She also has an Accounting Certificate. As Tiwahe Director, Juanita was the executive co-producer of four award winning intergenerational documentaries written, directed, performed and produced by UMUT youth and elders. Between 2007 and 2011 Juanita worked in Grants and Contracts in progressively responsible positions advancing from Contract Specialist to Acting Director to Director. In these positions she provided oversight of $40M in grants and contracts annually including external/internal reporting working primarily with funding agencies and program directors. She prepared financial reports, reviewed and submitted requests for advances, reimbursements, and proposals to tribal council, as well as reviewed purchase requisitions, travel requests, and correspondence for document transmittals. Juanita PlentyHoles helped to preserve and protect the Ute language by leading a Native Language Preservation program and has helped to create a Ute dictionary, online e-learning system, as well as Apple and Google apps. In addition, she served as Editor for four international award-winning books called Growing Ute I, Growing Ute II, Children’s Cookbook, and Ute Mountain Ute Lands.
National and State Leadership
Michael Bennet
Senator www.bennet.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/ write-to-michael
Jared Polis
Governor Governorpolis@state.co.us
John Hickenlooper
Senator www.hickenlooper.senate.gov/email-john
Alston Turtle Vice Chairman alston.turtle@utemountain.org
Conrad Jacket Secretary conrad.jacket@utemountain.org
Tribal Council
Darwin Whiteman, Jr. Treasurer darwin.whiteman.jr@utemountain.org
Malcolm Lehi
White Mesa Councilman malcolm.lehi@utemountain.org
Manuel Heart Chairman manuel.heart@utemountain.org
Tawnie Knight Councilwoman tawnie.knight@utemountain.org
Kathryn Jacket Councilwoman kjackett@utemountain.org
Tribal Administration
The tribal government administration is headed by a Tribal Council–appointed Executive Director, Chief Financial Officer and Legal Counsel. Government offices and facilities are concentrated in and around the community of Towaoc, although there are some government offices in White Mesa. The Tribal Administration Department provides administrative support services for tribal members and employees of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe. Members of the Executive Leadership Team include:
Morgan Jannot
Interim Executive Director mjannot@utemountain.org
Ronald Scott
Chief Financial Officer rscott@utemountain.org
Nicki Green Legal Counsel ngreen@utemountain.org
Tribal Planning Committee
Ron Scott Chief Financial Officer rscott@utemountain.org
Patrick Littlebear Grants & Contracts Administrator plittlebear@utemountain.org
James Melvin Weeminuche Construction Authority jmelvin@wcaconstruction.com
Marie Heart Staff Development Coordinator mlansing@utemountain.org
Miles Sturdevant Weeminuche Construction Authority msturdevant@wcaconstruction.com
Beth Cascaddan Economic Development Director BCascaddan@utemountain.org
Lee Trabaudo UMUT Public Works/ Broadband ltrabaudo@utemountain.org
Joe Lopez Weeminuche Construction Authority jlopez@wcaconstruction.com
Bernadette Cuthair Planning Director bcuthair@utemountain.org
Dyllon Mills Kwiyagat Community Academy Dmills@utekca.org
Scott Clow Environmental Director sclow@utemountain.org
Dan Porter Kwiyagat Community Academy Dporter@utekca.org
Ben Elmore Weeminuche Construction Authority belmore@wcaconstruction.com
Tiwahe Facilitators and Production Team
Beverly Santicola UMUT Tiwahe Producer bevsanticola@outlook.com
Amanda Shepler UMUT Tiwahe Lead Writer
Marc Santicola Santicola & Company mhsanticola@outlook.com
Anthony Two Moons Photographer a2moons@gmail.com
Dr. Melita “Chepa” Rank Center for Rural Outreach & Public Services cheparank@gmail.com
LeeAnn Nelson Graphic Design NelsonDesign2@comcast.net
Rehabilitation, Multi-Family, Single
GROCERY STORE
Workforce Innovation Center
HOUSING
Service Based
K-16 EDUCATION
Kwiyagat Community Academy
HEALTHCARE FACILITY EXPANSION
Primary, Vision, Dental, Behavioral Health
Housing
Solar
TRANSPORTATION
Paving
Tiwahe Performance Measures
INCREASE YOUTH PROGRAMMING TO IMPROVE UMUT STUDENT SUCCESS
Beginning in 2020, we changed our focus from youth filmmaking to youth programming and offered youth workshops in various fields of arts and skills development in an effort to increase attendance and graduation rates and reduce suspension rates. We received a grant from the US Department of Education, Office of Indian Services, called Accessing Choices in Education to provide academic (including STEM), language, culture, arts, and recreational learning options through a program called Project PEAK. The results have shown significant improvements in student achievement:
⊲ 72 new instructional classes
⊲ 6% increase in attendance rates from first quarter to fourth quarter from 87.5% to 96%
⊲ 1.4 academic achievement gain from 1.8 to 3.2 GPA
⊲ 31 Native American graduates
17% increase in student participation with 294 unduplicated in 2025, 251 in 2024
SAMPLES OF YOUTH PROGRAMS PROVIDED THROUGH PROJECT PEAK
Tiwahe Performance Measures
HOUSING REHABILITATION
In 2025, our Tiwahe performance measures for housing improvements remained the same as in 2024, measuring number of homes rehabilitate, family members served and funding leveraged, as well as including new housing construction progress.
⊲ 26 homes rehabilitated between 2019 and 2024
⊲ 96 members benefited from Tiwahe HIP program in 4 years
⊲ Nearly $9 MILLION leveraged in Housing Grant Funding
TIWAHE HOUSING GRANTS
HOUSING IMPROVEMENTS 2019 TO 2024
COLORADO UTE MOUNTAIN HELPING HANDS HOME IMPROVEMENT PROJECT
Other Tiwahe Successes
ARTS, CULTURE AND LANGUAGE
LANGUAGE PRESERVATION PRODUCTS
Over the past nine years the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe has produced awardwinning books, films, language apps, and websites. In all the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe has won more than 50 Telly, Anthem, and Webby Awards for these productions.
Ute Online E-Learning nuuwayga.com/
Ute Online Dictionary dictionary.utelanguage.org
Ute Language Google App play.google.com/store/apps/ details?id=org.utelanguage. dictionary
Ute Language Apple App apps.apple.com/us/app/ute-mobiledictionary/id1594696386
CULTURE AND LANGUAGE BOOKS
Growing Ute I
issuu.com/a2moons/docs/ growingute_issuu_1028
Growing Ute II
issuu.com/bevsanticola/ docs/growingute2
Land Changes
issuu.com/bevsanticola/ docs/wi_ssiv_ka_av_tu_ vu_pu_a_08sept
Piischiu Tuhkaanigay: Children Cooking
issuu.com/bevsanticola/docs/ piischiu_tuhkaanigay
CEDS Plan
issuu.com/bevsanticola/docs/umut_ ceds_2025-2026_digital
Retreat Report
issuu.com/bevsanticola/docs/umut_ nuchu_report_prf10
“Our Culture is Our Strength” Film vimeo.com/516856356
“We Are Nuchu” Film vimeo.com/617401273/6cb4761591
“Escape” Film
www.centerforruraloutreach.org/projects-gallery/ escape-film
“The Strength of Siblings” Film
www.centerforruraloutreach.org/projects-gallery/ the-strength-of-siblings-film PSAS
Suicide PSAs | vimeo.com/661599488 vimeo.com/661599524
Language PSA | vimeo.com/624082360/c1bf5dddb3
Culture PSA | vimeo.com/521216390
Tiwahe Fitness Zone Project
vimeo.com/364951227
Home Improvement Program (HIP)
vimeo.com/skinsplex/ download/364682654/ c3d025e1a3
TOUR DE UTE –A JOURNEY OF WELLNESS
vimeo.com/skinsplex/ download/364683171/23133b4f06
Tour de Ute –Fitness Zone Project
vimeo.com/363011146? embedded=true&source=video_ title&owner=56125949
In 2025, 154 people attended the “Young Emerging Filmmaker” screenings at LA SkinFest, which featured two UMUT films.
Ute Strong: We Are Resilient
vimeo.com/skinsplex/download/ 476997897/17b81bb3e5
Mógúán: A Journey to Behavioral Health
vimeo.com/1130350815?share=copy&fl=sv&fe=ci
Other Tiwahe Successes
GRANT SUCCESSES
The UMUT annual operating budget, approved September 28, 2023, for FY 2024 is $104,555,097, of which 79% comes from grants and contracts and the balance comes from other revenue sources. Revenue from business enterprises has been lower in recent years following COVID and the severe drought.
The Farm and Ranch Enterprise was operating at 20% capacity for an extended period. Increasing costs for materials and labor has adversely affected Weeminuche Construction Authority and the Tribe lost significant revenues from gas and oil. Tribal revenues from its business enterprises are expected to increase in 2024-2025. Each revenue source contributes to the Tribe’s ability to function as Tribal government. Any increase in revenues results in an increase in services and improves the quality of life for Tribal members. On the other hand, any decrease in revenues severely limits the Tribe’s ability to provide Tribal members with adequate services and social programs, basic living assistance and improved living conditions. Current Grants and Contracts represent over 79% of the tribe’s revenue. The Tribe is listed by the Internal Revenue Services in Revenue Procedure 2002-64 as an organization that may
be treated as a governmental entity in accordance with Section 7871. As such, the Tribe’s income is not subject to federal income tax.
Since 2015, following the first Ute Mountain Ute Native National Partnership Retreat, the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe has generated more than $176 MILLION in new grant funding. The Tribe contracts with Santicola and Company to assist in the development of awardwinning proposals.
Impact
National Reports
All Tiwahe Tribes are required to submit reports to the National Office for review and final reports are completed by National BIA. All final documents were submitted to US Congress and various Committees. The demonstration period ended in 2020, but the Tiwahe is continuing based on its success. Congress added funds to include two more Tribes to Tiwahe in 2022 and plans to add more funding to add additional Tribes to Tiwahe in 2023.
