PLUMMER - Nearly 50 schools and nonprofit agencies received extra funds Friday to upgrade technology, purchase textbooks, provide student scholarships, and fund programs, thanks to donations made by the Coeur d'Alene Tribe.

This is the first year the Tribe fielded applications for education funding and the Tribal Council considered more than 120 compelling requests from across the state and the region.

Coeur d'Alene Tribal Council selected a total of 47 schools, school districts and nonprofit organizations for a total of $1,359,368 in education donations for 2013.

With this latest round of donations, the Tribe's lifetime contributions to education have officially surpassed the $20 million dollar mark.

"We can't think of a more worthy cause than to invest in our children's futures," said Coeur d'Alene Tribal Chairman Chief Allan of the donations.

"This year we saw a great demand for basic education needs - so many teachers and schools were looking for funds to buy books and classroom supplies they haven't been able to buy because of budget cuts and we're proud to be able to fill that gap and provide for our teachers and our students."

Kootenai County organizations received the largest percentage of donations, but funds were also distributed to organizations throughout Benewah, Shoshone, and Latah counties in Idaho and Spokane County, Washington.

"Our longstanding relationship with the tribe has allowed for the enrichment of so many academic programs, arts and humanities opportunities and character-building activities and athletics for students across our school district," said Superintendent Hazel Bauman of the Coeur d'Alene School District, which received funding for its human rights program, its bullying program and other district initiatives.

The Tribe first committed to donating to education in 1992 when its leadership volunteered to return 5 percent of its net gaming revenues to the financial support of education as part of its gaming compact with the state.

The first donations were made in 1994 and since then, the Coeur d'Alene Tribe has donated $20,171,894 in education donations alone. Since 2005, the Tribe's annual education donations have totaled more than $1 million dollars annually.

The Coeur d'Alene Tribe will be accepting applications for 2014 funding through Sept. 30.

Info: Heather Keen, 686-2023 or hkeen@cdatribe-nsn.gov

Donation recipients

1. American Cancer Society

2. American Indian Resources Institute

3. Avery School District No. 394

4. Bovill Elementary School

5. Boys & Girls Club of Kootenai County

6. Coeur d'Alene Backpack Program

7. Coeur d'Alene Charter Academy

8. Coeur d'Alene School District

9. Coeur d'Alene Summer Theatre

10. Freeman School District

11. Friends of Head Start

12. Gonzaga University

13. Holy Family Catholic School

14. Human Rights Education Institute

15. Idaho Drug Free Youth

16. Idaho Hill Elementary School

17. Idaho Native American Law Student Association

18. Jacklin Arts and Culture Center

19. Kellogg Joint School District

20. Kroc Center

21. Kootenai School District

22. Kootenai Technical Education Campus

23. Lakeland School District

24. LAM Christian Academy

25. Moscow School District

26. Native American Community Center

27. North Idaho College

28 Plummer-Worley School District

29 Post Falls School District

30 Silver Valley Chamber of Commerce

31. St. Maries School District

32 St. Patrick Catholic School

33 TESH

34 Tekoa School District

35 The Fig Tree

36 Troy School District

37 University of Idaho - Coeur d'Alene

38 University of Idaho Executive MBA Program

39 University of Idaho Native Law Program

40 Westridge Elementary PTO

41 Coeur d'Alene Tribe Early Childhood Learning Center

42 Coeur d'Alene Tribe Scholarship Program

43 Coeur d'Alene Tribe Education Department

44 Tribal Youth Programs

45 Coeur d'Alene Tribe Vocational Training

46 Coeur d'Alene Tribe Language and Culture Programs

47 Plummer-Worley School District/Coeur d'Alene Tribe Back to School Program