“Native Edge: Tribal Economic Accelerator” is supported by a grant from the Administration for Native Americans
MESA, AZ – The National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development recently launched “The Native Edge: Tribal Economic Accelerator.” The National Center’s newest program is a comprehensive, three-year initiative funded by the Administration for Native Americans that is designed to improve procurement practices for both tribes and Native-owned businesses.
“The National Center is excited to get to work on our newest program, which addresses a serious need in Indian Country,” said Chris James, President and CEO of The National Center. “The Native Edge: Tribal Economic Accelerator will provide tribes with the tools they need to improve their procurement systems while developing a supply chain of qualified Native-owned businesses capable of providing vital services to their communities. With a six-decade track record of working with tribes and Native entrepreneurs, The National Center is well-positioned to reach the worthy goals outlined by the Administration for Native Americans.”
The project is a direct response to a critical, two-sided market failure: tribal governments often lack the modern procurement systems to effectively buy from local and other Native-owned businesses (the "demand" side), while those same businesses often lack the specialized capacity to sell back to their tribal governments (the "supply" side). This disconnect allows billions of dollars to flow out of tribal economies annually, undermining economic sovereignty and community wealth and well-being.
The project will build a functional Native-to-Native marketplace by providing integrated support to both sides of this economic equation. On the demand side, The National Center will equip tribal leaders and staff with the tools to strengthen their procurement systems through a "Tribal Procurement Policy Toolkit" and extensive training at National Center events like the Reservation Economic Summit.
On the supply side, The National Center plans to launch the Native-to-Native Business Accelerator to prepare Native-owned businesses to successfully compete for and win tribal contracts. A dedicated Business Specialist will provide intensive, one-on-one counseling and lead a series of virtual Native Edge Institutes, building the operational and financial capacity of entrepreneurs to meet this new demand.
Tribes and Native-owned businesses interested in participating in this project should contact Yvette Fielder at yvette@ncaied.org.
