Minnesota opens missing indigenous people tip reward fund program

(FOX 9) - Hoping to advance and reduce the number of missing and murdered Indigenous people, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives (MMIR) Office has announced a new reward fund program to offer tipsters up to $10,000 for information that could help close some of them.

Minnesota’s missing indigenous people

What we know:

On Wednesday, the MMIR announced the official opening of the state’s Gaagige-Mikwendaagoziwag Reward Fund Tip Program, which will offer financial rewards of up to $10,000 for tips "that meaningfully advance eligible MMIR investigations."

Honoring missing and murdered Indigenous women

The Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe held a ceremony Thursday to honor the lives of missing and murdered Indigenous women and relatives, as communities across the country mark a national week of action.

The backstory:

Minnesota’s lawmakers established the state’s Gaagige-Mikwendaagoziwag Reward Fund Account during the 2022-2023 legislative session to bring justice to impacted families. The program is funded by a one-time allocation of $250,000.

The fund is said to also "support community awareness, collaborative search efforts and prevention initiatives."

According to the MMIR, 714 Indigenous persons were reported missing in Minnesota in 2024.

What they're saying:

"In Ojibwe, Gaagige-Mikwendaagoziwag means ‘They will be remembered forever.’ That name not only honors those we have lost, but the families who carry their memory, fight for answers, and refuse to be forgotten," said Senator Mary Kunesh, who authored the legislation, in a statement. "Today is a step toward justice for those we have lost and their families."