Vice President Harris traveled to Arizona this week to meet with the Gila River Indian Community. During the interview, VP Harris reviews issues such as MMIWP, partnering with Tribal Leaders, and Small Business Credit Initiative awards to support Tribal small businesses.
Tribal Leader Roundtable – Tuesday, August 10th, 2021 AT 10AM
The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) reauthorizes and amends the Small Business Jobs Act (SBJA) of 2010, which established the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) Program. SSBCI provides certain governments funding for 1) small business financing programs and 2) technical assistance to small businesses applying for SSBCI. ARPA authorized SSBCI Tribal government eligibility for the first time and provided a $500 million Tribal set aside. Treasury has conducted a Tribal consultation, hosted a Tribal information session, and engaged in Tribal engagement on this fund over the past few months. Based on the consultation, Treasury adopted a distribution methodology that allocated payments using a formula that is based on enrollment data and establishes a minimum amount ($423,000) for eligible Tribal governments. All eligible Tribal governments have been notified of their initial allocations via email. A Notice of Intent to apply for these funds is due August 16, 2021 at 5:00 EDT and applications are due December 11, 2021. Please note that the NOI does not obligate a government to participate in the program. SSBCI Resources:
Contact Information
ATNI HOSTED TREASURY MEETING TUESDAY AUGUST 10TH AT 10AMTopic: US Treasury SSBCI Time: Aug 10, 2021 10:00 AM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
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Your Opinion Needed: Assessing the Economic Impact of COVID-19 on Indian Country
Native American and Alaska Native tribal governments and enterprises encouraged to participate in new survey
March 10, 2021Tribal nations are now one year into the COVID-19 pandemic. Having real-time data on the economic impacts of COVID-19 in Indian Country is critical to ensure public policy solutions respond to the needs of tribal communities.
Our partner, the Center for Indian Country Development (CICD), continues to assess the evolving economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on tribal governments and tribal enterprises, and your feedback is critical. CICD’s fourth COVID-19 pulse survey addresses current and anticipated revenue declines and the impacts on employment and the provision of government services as a result of current or anticipated declines in revenues.
The National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development previously partnered with CICD for a survey on the state of Indian Country businesses. You can view the results of that survey here.
The survey should take no longer than 5 minutes to complete. All responses are anonymous, and only aggregated results will be shared publicly. The deadline to complete the survey is 7:00 p.m. CDT Friday, March 12.
Feel free to share the survey link with tribal government and tribal enterprise leaders in your network.
Today, the Small Business Administration (SBA) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that they will be hosting teleconference this Sunday (4/26) on accessing Round 2 of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funding. Tribes, tribal leaders, tribal business concerns, and tribal stakeholders are invited to participate in this teleconference. SBA will share up-to-date information on the PPP. USDA will provide information about its funding and programmatic responses to COVID-19 and ongoing collaborative efforts with SBA. NAFOA will share relevant guidance for tribes and tribal business concerns regarding access to PPP and other COVID-19 response resources.
| Sunday, April 26, 2020 5:00 – 5:45 pm ET Toll-Free Call-in number: 844-291-5491 Passcode: 2989742 ResourcesPPP Interim Final Rule (4/24) The CARES Act: Sec. 1102 – Paycheck Protection Program SBA Site: The Paycheck Protection Program Paycheck Protection Program FAQ (4/23/20) Native Owned Banks |
| Agenda: Welcome: Diane Cullo, Director, USDA’s Office of Tribal Relations Shawn Pensoneau, Assistant Administrator, Office of Native American Affairs, SBA Remarks: Tyler Fish, Senior Policy Advisor and Tribal Liaison, Executive Office of the President, The White House Programmatic Remarks: Small Business AdministrationUSDA Rural DevelopmentNAFOAQ&A:Tribal leaders, tribal governments, businesses, and other tribal stakeholder participants Closing Remarks Background: The Paycheck Protection Program is a loan program within the CARES Act that allows businesses with fewer than 500 employees to apply for loans to cover payroll and other operational expenses that have been disrupted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This loan is forgivable if the awardee ensures that the funds were used for their intended purposes over the covered period. |
Today, the Small Business Administration (SBA) published an interim final rule including a change to their guidance regarding the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) that would make most tribal gaming operations eligible for the program.
The PPP is a loan program within the CARES Act that allows businesses with fewer than 500 employees to apply for loans to cover payroll and other operational expenses that have been disrupted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This loan is forgivable if the awardee ensures that the funds were used for their intended purposes over the covered period. Resources
The original guidance suggested that most tribal gaming operations would be ineligible to participate in the program if these businesses derived over 50% of their revenues from gaming. Tribes and states with legal gaming enterprises worked hard to oppose this limited and arbitrary criteria for inclusion within the program.
The new interim final rule removes the criteria and states that “a business that is otherwise eligible for a PPP Loan is not rendered ineligible due to its receipt of legal gaming revenues, and 13 CFR 120.110(g) is inapplicable to PPP loans.”
Paycheck Protection Program Tribal Strategy
| Register for Today’s Webinar on Energy Efficiency Basics Feb. 26, 2020 The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs is pleased to sponsor the 2020 Tribal Energy Webinar Series with the theme of “How to…” Intended for tribal leaders, tribal staff, and others interested in energy development in Indian Country, the monthly webinars will focus on how to accomplish specific tasks related to energy development on tribal lands. Presenters will provide instruction and share tools and resources. Tribal case studies will emphasize the processes and tools used rather than the specific details of a particular project. Ten webinars will be offered at no cost, with most webinars scheduled at 11 a.m. Mountain Time (MT) on the last Wednesday of each month, beginning in February and concluding in December.The 2020 series will begin with Energy Efficiency Basics today, February 26, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. MT. When trying to lower energy bills or reduce environmental impact from energy generation, the first step is to look for opportunities to increase energy efficiency. This webinar will define what energy efficiency is and explore how to identify potential measures to reduce your Tribe’s energy use.There is no charge to attend, but registration is required. Register now for this webinar, and learn more about the 2020 webinar series. Regards, Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs 1000 Independence Ave. SW Washington DC 20585For more information on the Office of Indian Energy, visit our website. |