Mission Statement
Since 1969, The National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development has been a driving force for the advancement of Indigenous entrepreneurs and businesses. Through training, programming, and subject-matter expertise, The National Center has become the preeminent non-profit in the United States focused on the American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian economies.
"We Mean Business" is our motto - a testament to our tireless dedication to helping tribes, tribally owned businesses, and Indigenous entrepreneurs thrive. Our work has improved countless lives and communities, both now and for future generations.
How Does The National Center Fulfill Its Mission?
We have developed three pillars to guide our work:
- Helping Native-Owned Businesses Grow
- Serving as a Powerful Voice in Washington
- Expanding Markets at Home and Abroad
We uphold these pillars by:
- Providing supply management and technical assistance to tribal & individually owned Indigenous businesses nationwide
- Serving as a training and resource center for Native entrepreneurs • Hosting conferences, trade fairs, and fundraising events that advance economic development across Indian Country – and across the world
- Developing policy priorities, working with likeminded organizations, and advocating for our interests in Washington, DC
- Telling the story of Indian Country through our own platforms
- These pillars are the bedrock upon which our value system is built. They are a statement of our highest aspirations and the oldest elements of our culture. They represent our primary guidance, to be applied to any endeavor.
- We affirm our responsibility to preserve the environmental and cultural integrity of the lands and people whom we serve. In so doing, we acknowledge our responsibility to future generations who will follow our time on earth.
- We affirm our faith in the future of American Indians, Native Hawaiian, and Alaska Natives as distinct political, cultural, and economic communities. In so doing, we acknowledge that as a people we are self-defining, and that success is measured in terms of our Indian clients’ goals and aspirations.
- We affirm the value of our work that includes our volunteer leaders, our staff, our private sector supporters, and we honor the work of our clients, by investing our expertise and our energies for a better future. Together we contribute to the prosperity of all Americans.
- We affirm our full accountability to our clients, to American Indian, Hawaiian Native, and Alaska Native people and to those public and private institutions and individuals who support our missions. We recognize and accept responsibility for honesty and integrity in all our dealings.
- We affirm the spirit of cooperation, honor, and respect for diverse visions and perspectives. We observe this principle in how we govern and manage ourselves as well as in our interactions with others.
- We affirm the rights of all Americans, and we pledge to further the cause of equal opportunity for all people.
- We affirm our commitment to working partnerships with private industry, with private philanthropy, and with all governments in support of the enterprise development goals of the American Indians and Alaska Natives communities. We invite full participation in this worthy cause.
- We affirm our covenant to all American Indian, Native Hawaiian, and Alaska Natives to work for prosperity on their terms. We Mean Business for American Indians.
