Positive Impact
The Mohegan Tribe is committed to helping people at a number of levels: locally, state-wide and nationally.
Local Children’s Programs
Locally, the Mohegan Tribe emphasizes donations to children’s programs, such as providing funds to make physical improvements to the local high school. In the adjoining city of New London, the Tribe made a donation to the Lawrence & Memorial Hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, and in Norwich, CT, a Mohegan grant funded new school buses that protect the children from toxic fumes. The Mohegan Tribe also contributes to drug-free graduation parties and local youth sports programs.
Connecticut State Revenues
State Indian tribes represent the second largest source of state revenue, second only to the federal government. Both the Mohegan Tribe and the nearby Mashantucket Pequot Tribe pay 25% of their slot machine revenues to the state in lieu of taxes. This money helps pay for badly needed local services in Connecticut cities and towns. Since its opening in 1996 and during its first twenty years of operation, Mohegan Sun’s slot payment has contributed over $3.3 billion to the State of Connecticut. That’s not only more than any other state employer pays the state; it’s more than all other Connecticut corporations pay in corporate taxes combined. (The contribution would be half of this if the tribes paid at the standard corporate rate plus an 8% gaming tax.)
$10 Million Smithsonian Donation
In 2001, the Mohegan Tribe donated $10 million to help build the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, which opened in 2004. As stated by the Tribal Council, the Mohegan Tribe's commitment to the preservation and restoration of Native American culture extends beyond that of the Tribe's own concerns. We are proud to be able to help more tribes preserve their heritage and traditions.
Other Indian Nations
Every year, the Mohegan Tribal Council returns 75% of the Tribal Priority Allocation funds it receives from the Bureau of Indian Affairs for redistribution to other Indian nations who need it more. In addition, the Tribe has supplied much needed essentials to other tribes throughout the U.S. since 1994.