Valencia developer FivePoint has contributed $5,000 to help kick-start a scholarship newly available from the Fernandeño-Tataviam Band of Mission Indians, which represents Native Americans indigenous to the Santa Clarita and San Fernando Valleys, and its nonprofit affiliate, Pukúu Cultural Community Services.

The new Caitlin Gulley Memorial Scholarship Fund honors its namesake, who died in September 2016 and was “a crucial ally to Indian Country and committed partner in the field of preservation,” according to the organization’s website.

“We would like to recognize Caitlin Gulley, who was a key member of the Fernandeño-Tataviam tribal historic and cultural resources preservation team,” said Donald L. Kimball of FivePoint. “We are saddened by her loss, as she was also a major contributor and led major consultation and monitoring efforts for us on the recent Newhall Ranch projects.”

Gulley, a graduate of UCLA, began her journey with the tribe in 2014 as a tribal historic and cultural preservation officer. She was instrumental in defending and preserving the cultural resources of a non-federally recognized tribe and became determined to further her education in law, due to the legal aspects intertwined with the practice of cultural resources protection. The tribe treasured her as a family member beyond the organizational structure of the Tribal Historic and Cultural Preservation Department and the Tribal Administrative Office.

Both FivePoint and the tribe said they recognize Gulley’s immense contributions to the field. Through Pukúu, the tribe provides the ability for any student in the field of cultural resources studies to become a defender of tribal cultural resources.

‘We will forever miss a crucial ally to Indian Country and committed partner in the field of preservation,” Pukúu representatives said. “Through this scholarship, we can celebrate the life and legacy of our beloved Caitlin Gulley.”