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Tribes push Senate to restore food sovereignty pilot left out of House bill

7 June 2026 Chez Oxendine

The Native Farm Bill Coalition is urging senators to restore a tribal food purchasing pilot omitted from the House farm bill, warning that the program’s future could be in jeopardy if Congress fails to explicitly reauthorize it.

Grand Ronde advances mixed-use redevelopment at former Blue Heron mill site

06 Jun

The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde have begun the first major construction phase at tumwata village, a redevelopment effort on the former industrial property at Willamette Falls that tribal...

IN SERVICE | Ellen and Serena Harmon on entrepreneurship, community and building for the future

June 07

After their mother's death, Ellen and Serena Harmon and their four brothers pooled the proceeds from her life insurance policy to start a business on the Rosebud Reservation — the community their...

Lakota Funds joins USDA home loan program, gains $764,000 for Pine Ridge mortgages

June 07

The nation’s oldest Native community development financial institution will expand access to mortgage financing on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation after joining a U.S. Department of Agriculture...

Tribal heritage projects eligible for up to $100K in federal funding through NPS program

June 06

The National Park Service is providing grants of up to $100,000 for federally recognized tribes and Native Hawaiian Organizations working on cultural and historic preservation projects.

USDA opens $60M meat processing funding round to tribes, small processors

Tribes and tribal entities will be eligible to compete for a share of $60 million in new federal meat processing funding under a U.S. Department of Agriculture program aimed at expanding domestic...

Sponsored Storytelling

Kent Paul reflects on 25 years helping build Native American Bank

As Native American Bank nears 25 years, outgoing Board Chairman Kent Paul looks back on the tribally-owned bank's growth and mission.

Tribes gain direct access to federal recreation grants worth up to $15M

Economic Development

Federally recognized tribes can now apply for grants of up to $15 million through a federal outdoor recreation program after Congress expanded eligibility last year.

From powwow concessions to a growing Native-owned hospitality brand

Indigenous Entrepreneurs

For many restaurant startups, a food truck is the first step toward opening a brick-and-mortar location. For Indigenous Eats, it happened in reverse.

PODCAST: The Treasurer Visits Blackfeet

Finance

U.S. Treasurer Brandon Beach traveled to the Blackfeet Indian Reservation last week for his first visit to a Montana reservation since taking office — a trip that offered a firsthand look at the opportunities and barriers shaping economic development in Indian Country.

From the Crow Nation to the Courtroom: Celina Stops Makes History at Boyd School of Law

Sponsored Storytelling

LAS VEGAS, NV - When Celina Stops arrived at the William S. Boyd School of Law at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, she was pursuing more than a law degree. She was stepping into territory that...

Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation sues Vallejo over Scotts Valley casino agreements

Gaming

The Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation has filed suit against the city of Vallejo and its city council over the council’s approval of an encroachment permit and a memorandum of understanding tied to the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians’ proposed temporary casino.

24 groups, including Native nonprofits, join lawsuit over canceled USDA grants

Food | Agriculture

A coalition of land trusts, local governments and Native organizations joined a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s cancellation of more than $127 million in USDA grants for farmland access, agricultural lending and farmer training projects.

Supreme Court declines Chinook bid for federal recognition through courts

Sovereignty

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear the Chinook Indian Nation’s petition on whether federal courts can recognize Indian tribes.

FHLBank Topeka opens $4M housing grant program for tribes in four states

Real Estate

Tribes and tribally designated housing entities in four states can compete for up to $500,000 each under a $4 million grant program aimed at supporting housing construction, rehabilitation and community development projects in Native communities.

How Section 105(l) is reshaping Tribal control of infrastructure and long-term funding

Sponsored Storytelling

The federal program is giving Tribes more control over the facilities their communities rely on, creating a more defined and predictable approach to funding, operations, and long-term infrastructure...

SBA moves to revise 8(a) rules while preserving tribal, ANC eligibility

Native Contracting

The U.S. Small Business Administration has proposed changes to its 8(a) Business Development Program that would eliminate race-based presumptions of social disadvantage for individually owned businesses while leaving eligibility standards unchanged for tribally owned enterprises, Alaska Native corporations and other Native entity-owned participants.

Sundance Institute selects four filmmakers for 2026 Native Lab

Arts and Culture

The Sundance Institute selected four filmmakers for its 2026 Native Lab, a development program supporting Indigenous storytellers working on feature and episodic projects.

Tribal colleges eligible for share of $15M federal research infrastructure funding

Higher Education

Tribally controlled colleges and universities are eligible to compete for a share of up to $15 million in federal funding aimed at expanding research capacity and improving campus infrastructure.

As data becomes a strategic asset, Native leaders face a new sovereignty test

Sponsored Storytelling

Sponsored Storytelling. For more than a decade, Indigenous researchers and advocates have built frameworks to govern Native data.

Laguna Creek raises $6.3M to scale software for tribal tourism operators

Tourism

Gilbert, Ariz.-based Laguna Creek LLC has raised $6.3 million in a Series A round led by Tempe-based Dali Capital Partners to expand its software platform for tribal hospitality and tourism businesses, the company said.

Red Lake positions itself for solar growth with $9M Mawka project

Energy | Environment

The Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians is moving forward with a $9 million solar project, positioning the tribe for future expansion as renewable energy financing becomes more challenging.

Karuk Tribe secures $1.5M for healthcare workforce housing project

Health Care

The Karuk Tribe said it has secured $1.5 million in federal funding to build workforce housing for healthcare professionals serving its communities.

The case for making ITARA’s tribal management authority permanent

Opinion | Op-Ed

Guest Opinion . Tribal nations, America’s original land stewards, are facing a legislative hurdle that could severely restrict their ability to manage 19.3 million acres of trust forest lands.

Tribal Leaders Focus on Risk, Revenue and Stewardship at Native Ag Summit

Sponsored Storytelling

Sponsored Storytelling. In a packed conference room filled with nearly 150 attendees — boots and jeans, cowboy hats and notebooks — tribal leaders, ranch managers and agriculture professionals...

Senators warn proposed FY2027 Native program cuts could strain federal obligations

Policy and Law

Proposed cuts to Native-serving programs, staffing losses across federal agencies and growing delays in tribal project approvals dominated a Senate Indian Affairs Committee budget hearing Wednesday, as lawmakers from both parties questioned whether the federal government can continue meeting its treaty and trust obligations to tribes.

Most Recent

Karuk Tribe secures $1.5M for healthcare workforce housing project

SBA moves to revise 8(a) rules while preserving tribal, ANC eligibility

Tribes gain direct access to federal recreation grants worth up to $15M

The case for making ITARA’s tribal management authority permanent

Defense Department reaffirms tribal, ANC eligibility in SBA 8(a) program