A severe budget shortfall that is impacting classrooms around the state means that dollars going directly into the classroom are even more important. Programs like the Citizen Potawatomi Nation tribal car tags give schools a reliable boost in funding. Since CPN first began issuing car tags in 2005, $1.7 million in funds has been sent to Oklahoma schools. Collected from fees on sales and registrations of tribal automobile vehicle license plates, CPN allows tag holders to designate a specific school in Oklahoma that their fees will be donated to each year. In the most recent fiscal year, the tribe’s donations of car tag fees to Oklahoma schools exceeded $272,000.

“People just love this program,” said CPN Tribal Tag Agency Director Cheryl Tainpeah. “They like how they can send it, not to just schools where they live, but to any one they choose.”

All Oklahoma schools, whether private or public, are eligible for the donations collected from tribal tag fees between May through April each year. Only donations to higher education institutions are not allowed under the program guidelines.

When tribal members first come to register their license plates at the tag agency, one option in the paperwork they fill out allows for them to choose a school that will receive the donation. Each time their tag is renewed, that school receives a portion of the fees that are donated on an annual basis. Tribal members can change their desired school by filling out new registration paperwork at the CPN Tribal Tag Agency.

Though the funds go to individual schools, the top recipients in terms of school districts in the past year were:

Shawnee: $17,811

Moore: $13,684

Tecumseh: $11,648

Norman: $10,811

Edmond: $10,268

To register a vehicle you must be an Oklahoma resident and a Citizen Potawatomi Nation tribal member. In order to register a vehicle, appointments are mandatory, and can be made by calling the CPN Tag Agency at 1-800-880-9880. No appointments are required to renew your tag. Renewals can be done by mail or in person but owners must provide their CPN tag number and current Oklahoma insurance verification with payment.

Tribal tags are offered for automobiles, motorcycles, farm vehicles, RVs, travel and utility trailers, ATVs and off-road motorcycles as well as black tags that have a non-use decal. There is a special CPN Veteran Tag available for veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces.

To learn more, visit cpn.news/tagoffice or call 1-800-880-9880.