Tribal Business News

Tribal Business News

Mobile Ad Container

Details: By Brian Edwards; Uncategorized; January 1, 2022

People on the move in Indian Country

19 June 2026 Tribal Business News Staff

Leadership changes across Indian Country this month include appointments in Native finance, economic development, Tribal health, education and legal services. Organizations announced new executives, board leaders and senior staff as they expand programs, strengthen advocacy efforts and guide community-focused initiatives.

CFTC proposal raises tribal sovereignty concerns in prediction market dispute

20 Jun

A federal agency has proposed a new rule that could loosen its regulation of prediction markets — and undercut tribal and state governments’ challenges to those markets’ operations.

Rare 'friendly condemnation' would transfer 45,000 acres to Hopi Tribe

June 19

A rare "friendly condemnation" action will transfer more than 45,000 acres of Arizona state trust land into federal trust for the Hopi Tribe, advancing one of the largest tribal land consolidation...

NTIA opens $790M in new tribal broadband and digital inclusion funding

June 19

The federal government is making nearly $800 million available to help tribal nations expand broadband infrastructure, improve internet adoption and support digital workforce development.

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

June 13

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.

Sitnasuak Native Corporation secures 1,700 acres along Nome River for permanent conservation

Sitnasuak Native Corporation has secured permanent protection for 14 miles of the Nome River, bringing 1,700 acres under conservation and restoring public access to a corridor long fragmented by...

Sponsored Storytelling

Why We’re Paying Attention to Prediction Markets

As a Native law student and young professional engaged in tribal governance, gaming and federal Indian law, we have been paying close attention to the rapid rise of prediction markets and the debate...

DOT opens $19M tribal transit funding round for rural projects

Economic Development

The Department of Transportation is making about $19 million in competitive grants available for tribal transit projects in fiscal year 2026, continuing a federal program that helps tribes expand and operate transportation systems in rural communities.

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: Why Only Three?

Finance

California is home to 109 federally recognized tribes and one of the largest community development finance systems in the country. Yet despite that scale, only three Native Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) currently operate in the state.

Kent Paul reflects on 25 years helping build Native American Bank

Sponsored Storytelling

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

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.

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

Food | Agriculture

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.

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.

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

Real Estate

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 mother had grown up in as a child.

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...

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.

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

Arts and Culture

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.

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.

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...

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.

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.

Q+A: Why tribes don’t always use the self-governance powers Congress gives them

Policy and Law

Congress has spent decades creating new pathways for tribal self-governance, giving tribal nations greater authority over land leasing, energy development, public safety and other functions long overseen by the federal government. Yet many of those authorities remain underused.

Most Recent

PODCAST: Why Only Three?

CFTC proposal raises tribal sovereignty concerns in prediction market dispute

Q+A: Why tribes don’t always use the self-governance powers Congress gives them

NTIA opens $790M in new tribal broadband and digital inclusion funding

Rare 'friendly condemnation' would transfer 45,000 acres to Hopi Tribe