Dear USET/USET SPF Family,
The Native American Finance Officers Association (NAFOA) and the Economic Development Administration (EDA) will host a webinar to discuss recent updates to Tribal eligibility regulations to access EDA grant programs and provide an overview of the $100 million Indigenous Communities Program.
Details regarding this webinar are as follows—
EDA has also issued a Dear Tribal Leader Letter (DTLL) announcing this webinar and background on recent Tribal consultations. The DTLL also announced the appointment of Carolee Wenderoth as EDA’s new Tribal Engagement Coordinator. Ms. Wenderoth can be contacted at cwenderoth1@eda.gov.
Background on Tribal Eligibility Regulations and Indigenous Communities Program
On September 24, 2021 EDA issued a Final Rule that updated its Tribal eligibility regulations to include for-profit Tribal corporations, wholly owned by and established exclusively for the benefit of a Tribal Nation, to be eligible to receive grants from EDA. Under previous regulations Tribal Nations were eligible for 100% grant rates, but only Tribal non-profit organizations were eligible to qualify for EDA grants.
The Indigenous Communities Program was authorized by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 and provides $100 million in grant funds for technical, planning, workforce development, entrepreneurship, and public works and infrastructure projects for Tribal Nations to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. Indian Tribes or a consortium of Indian Tribes as defined in 13 C.F.R. § 300.3 are eligible to apply for this program. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and the proposed application deadline is March 15, 2022. For more information on the Indigenous Communities Challenge, please click here.
For more information, please contact Brian Howard, USET SPF Senior Policy Analyst, at bhoward@usetinc.org.
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