Carrie Lowry Schuettpelz, associate professor of practice and director of undergraduate studies in the University of Iowa School of Planning and Public Affairs, has been awarded a prestigious grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the nation’s largest funder of the arts, culture, and humanities.
The $1.1 million grant funds two projects — Project Return and Project Trust —building upon Schuettpelz’s ongoing partnerships with Native Nations and work at Iowa. An enrolled member of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, Schuettpelz serves as director of the Native Policy Lab in the School of Planning and Public Affairs. She began the lab a year ago as a hub for creating data-driven solutions to challenges faced by Native Nations.
Project Return will work to provide historical Indian boarding school records to those who attended these federally-funded schools, in place from 1819 to 1969. The federal government has since reported that hundreds of children died at the schools, while many others were forcibly separated from their families, forbidden from participating in their tribes’ languages and customs, and suffered abuse.
“This project focuses on getting those records from the National Archives to survivors who want them, free of charge,” Schuettpelz says.
Schuettpelz says obtaining records from the archive is not a straightforward process, making it difficult for survivors to access them on their own. After returning records to living survivors, the project will expand to return records to families and tribes of Indian boarding school survivors who have passed away.
Project Trust will use historical records and land mapping tools to assist Native Nations in developing plans to regain land ownership and access to land where tribes historically resided. Schuettpelz says tribes often require better, usable data to make decisions about how land is used and in acquiring more land for conservation, infrastructure needs, and economic development opportunities.
“We want to partner with Native Nations to better understand what their needs are when it comes to land data and information,” she says.
Graduate and undergraduate students have assisted Schuettpelz in the Native Policy Lab, and this will continue with Project Return and Project Trust.
“Once they get involved in the work, it’s not hard for them to become very passionate about it,” Schuettpelz says. “I believe it’s important for students to have experiences outside of the classroom where they can do hands-on projects.”
Schuettpelz received a Bachelor of Arts in political science and government from Iowa, an MFA in creative writing from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard University. She spent seven years working as a federal policy advisor, with a focus on homelessness and Native policy.
Schuettpelz also is a successful author. Her debut nonfiction book, The Indian Card, was released in October, to much acclaim, and she recently secured a deal for a second book.
“I am deeply committed to issues facing Native Nations,” Schuettpelz says. “Having my work at Iowa supported through the Mellon Foundation means a lot to me.”