MBN USA

January 04, 2022

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Indian Country to benefit from economic development services

The National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development (The National Center) was recently named one of seven organizations to receive $1.1 million in grants and contracts from the United States Small Business Administration (SBA). The awards will be used to promote the development, success, and long-term sustainability of Native American-owned businesses, aligning closely with The National Center’s core mission to expand economic opportunity in Indian Country. Awards will be used to continue to provide and expand business development services, management, and technical assistance to Native American entrepreneurs and business owners.

“Thank you to the Small Business Administration and Administrator Guzman for including The National Center among the organizations to receive this vital funding,” said National Center CEO and President Chris James. “Through our Native Edge Institutes, Native Edge Finance, Reservation Economic Summit, Arizona MBDA Export Center, Procurement Technical Assistance Center, and more, The National Center is working every day to increase the number of and further develop Indian Country entrepreneurs and business owners at all levels. This funding will help ensure we can continue that mission and create new and exciting ways to connect with the Native American business community.”

• Grant recipients offer a number of services. The National Center’s range of services includes:
• Marketing and business development
• Contract management and compliance resources
• Guidance on industry-specific certifications and requirements
• Strategic, and operational planning, and management consulting
• Accounting, bookkeeping, and financial analysis
• Information technology and systems development

Read more about The National Center’s fellow grant recipients in the SBA’s full release here.

Comments from leaders at the U.S. Small Business Administration: 

“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.”