SBA Announces $1.1 Million in Awards to Support Native American Entrepreneurs

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced the awardees of $1.1 million in grants and contracts to promote the development, success, and long-term sustainability of Native American-owned businesses. 

“Native-owned small businesses are vital to our shared economic future, and the SBA is committed to engaging and supporting them. The $1.1 million in awards will provide a boost to the SBA’s service providers working to address the systemic inequities that continue to affect Indigenous peoples,” said SBA Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman. “As a member of the White House Council of Native American Affairs, I recognize that there is still much work to do to close opportunity gaps for the most impacted and hardest-to-reach Native American small business owners, and we are determined to continue providing the tools and resources Native American entrepreneurs across the nation need to focus on what they do best -- create jobs and grow their small businesses.”

“The selected awardees have demonstrated a track record of service working with Native American small businesses and have also demonstrated they can provide the range of management and technical assistance services that microenterprise small businesses need in this critical moment,” said Mark Madrid, Associate Administrator for the Office of Entrepreneurial Development. “That means we will be using all of the tools at our disposal to assist in the growth and vitality addressing the unique challenges facing Native American small business owners.”

“It is very exciting and encouraging to see the continued support for our Native American entrepreneurs,” said Jackson S. Brossy, Assistant Administrator, Office of Native American Affairs. “Important resources such as these will help  many community leaders with growth and job expansion. Our goal is to focus on our next generation of business builders and help increase economic opportunity.”

The following seven awardees represent a geographically diverse group of providers spanning various tribal nations, communities, and industries.  They will focus on narrowing the gap in business development services provided by the SBA to Native American firms.  The awardees are:

Council on Native Hawaiian AdvancementNational Center for American Indian Enterprise DevelopmentOur Native American Business NetworkRural Enterprises of Oklahoma, Inc.Two Rivers Community Development CorporationRedWindSister Sky, Inc.

This opportunity will be funded through grants and contract vehicles managed through the SBA’s Office of Native American Affairs. The goal is to provide essential business development services, management, and technical assistance to Native American business owners across the country.

This investment will bolster the reach of these organizations that provide a range of services including:

Strategic, and operational planning, and management consultingMarketing and business developmentAccounting, bookkeeping, and financial analysisContract management and compliance resourcesInformation technology and systems developmentGuidance on industry-specific certifications and requirements

To learn more about assistance provided to Native American small businesses and SBA’s Office of Native American Affairs, please visit www.sba.gov/naa.