A partnership between the Intertribal Agriculture Council and the U.S. Department of Agriculture that provided financial assistance for Native farmers, will be terminated as part of a broader shutdown of a $360 million federal program.
The Regional Food Business Centers were started to support farms and food businesses to create new market opportunities, enhance competitiveness, and strengthen regional supply chains, according to USDA. The centers offer technical assistance, capacity-building awards, and coordinate services to catalyze the growth of regional food economies.
The National Intertribal Food Business Center (NIFBC), which specifically focused on tribal producers and food businesses, was one of 12 Regional Food Business Centers created using roughly $360 million in federal funding allocated by the American Rescue Plan. The center was a collaboration between the Intertribal Agriculture Council and partners including Akiptan, the Indian Land Tenure Foundation, and the Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative.
The USDA selected its 12 partners in May 2023. The partners then launched their respective centers throughout 2024 and 2025. Each center received funding to support subgrant awards — called Business Builder grants — and provide technical assistance and local and regional coordination. The NIFBC received $25 million and began awarding grants in December 2024. On July 15, USDA Secretary Brooke L. Rollins announced the program would end. Existing grant obligations would be honored through May 2026, but no new grants will be awarded, and RFBCs with no existing grant awards were terminated immediately, according to USDA.
In statement, USDA said it is “terminating this program that should not have been established in this manner in the first place,” but is doing so in a way to honor commitments made to farmers.
“USDA will honor existing commitments for over 450 grants to farmers and food businesses to ensure planning decisions on the farm can continue as normal, however stakeholders should not plan on this program continuing,” Rollins said in a statement. “Any remaining funds will be repurposed to better support American agriculture.”
The Intertribal Agriculture Council met with USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service on July 17 to clarify implementation timelines and award eligibility, according to frequently asked questions the organization posted on its website.
According to a December USDA release, $119 million of the $360 million had been allocated so far. It was not immediately clear how much of the NIFBC’s $25 million in funding had been awarded to subgrants.
Only eight of the 12 centers have distributed Business Builder grants, according to USDA. The National Intertribal Food Business Center was among the eight and will have the option to continue managing some existing grants through 2026, but the remaining activities of the center will be terminated, according to a USDA spokesperson.
Tribal Business News reached out to the Intertribal Agriculture Council, which declined to comment.
On its website, the IAC noted: “While this USDA-funded phase of the NIFBC is being scaled back, IAC’s mission—and our commitment to Tribal food businesses—is not ending. We are actively exploring ways to sustain and evolve this work through other avenues.”
Brian Edwards contributed reporting.
