2021 Mississippi Bond Authorization

The Chickasaw Inkana Foundation (CIF) is pleased to announce the state of Mississippi has authorized an additional $3 million in general obligation bond funds during the 2021 legislative session for the development and construction of the Chickasaw Heritage Center (CHC). Currently, the CIF has a total of $ 6,050,000 dollars authorized by the Mississippi legislature, building upon the $50,000 authorized in 2019 and the $3,000,000 authorized during the 2020 session. The CIF is seeking a total of $16 million from the state of Mississippi while the Chickasaw Nation has committed to matching up to $16 million in funds raised by the foundation. This partnership covers $32 million of the $36 million project. The CHC will be a state-of-the-art facility dedicated to providing an immersive, interactive and educational experience that shares the rich culture and history of the Chickasaw people from the Chickasaw perspective. With Tupelo being the epicenter of Chickasaw history and culture in the historic Homeland, the CHC will add to the already growing heritage tourism opportunities in the region. We are proud to create this educational hub and partner with the state of Mississippi, the Chickasaw Nation, the National Park Service and the City of Tupelo to make this vision a reality.