Tribal Resources
The State of Montana is committed to working closely with Montana's Indian Tribes. The purpose of this section is to focus on some resources that may be of particular interest to Native Americans in Montana. Virtually all of the programs contained in the Montana Finance Information Center website are available to Montana's Tribal Governments and Native American business owners.There may be a few exceptions, such as the Community Development Block Grant program (CDBG). The tribes have access to the CDBG program directly from the Department of Housing and Urban Development instead of through the state program.
MT Indian Business Alliance (MIBA) is an outcome of the historic 2006 Montana Indian Business Conference that was held in Great Falls and had approximately 250 attendees. MIBA partners are comprised of organizations and entities that are interested in Indian business development. They include tribal organizations, tribal governments, state government, non-profits, tribal colleges, Indian owned businesses, Governor Schweitzer's office, lending institutions, consulting firms, consumer credit advocacy agencies, community development agencies, the Federal Reserve Bank and federal agencies.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development has a number of programs aimed at assisting Tribes and Native Americans. Visit their excellent website containing volumes of information. Another program for information about native american loan programs is Section 184 Indian Housing Loan Guarantee Program.
State Tribal Resources
State programs such as the Commerce Regional Development Program are available to the tribes and tribal members.
Certified Regional Development Corporations Program
The 2003 Montana Legislature created the Certified Regional Development Corporations (CRDC) program in the Montana Department of Commerce. The legislative intent of the CRDC program is to encourage a regional approach to economic development that facilitates the efficient delivery of economic development programs by supporting regional capacity building.
The Governor's Office of Indian Affairs can also provide assistance by calling (406) 444-3702 or by mail at:
Governor's Office of Indian Affairs
State Capitol, Room 202
Box 200503
Helena, MT 59620-0503
There are a number of state-wide organizations that offer services to the Tribes. The Montana office of the federal USDA Rural Development agency has an excellent State and Tribal Resource Directory which is very useful.
Printed versions are also available from:
Montana USDA Rural Development
PO Box 850
900 Technology Blvd.
Bozeman, MT 59771
Phone: 1(406) 585-2580
FAX 1(406) 585-2565
TDD 1(406) 585-2562
The Small Business Administration also has a number of very useful and successful finance and technical assistance programs at http://www.sba.gov/mt/counselingt.html.
Federal Tribal Resources
The federal Bureau of Indian Affairs also has programs specifically available for Tribal Governments and Native Americans in Montana. The BIA website http://www.doi.gov/bureau-indian-affairs.html as well as all BIA mail servers have been made unavailable temporarily due to the Cobell Litigation. There is some usefull information on the current website including a long list of links to other resources. We have no estimate on when authorization will be given to reactivate the sites. Here are some alternate ways to get the information. Please contact the BIA by phone at:
- For general BIA information: 202 208-3710
- For Tribal Leaders Directory: 202 208-3711
There are numerous local revolving loan funds located around the state with several being available principally to Native Americans. Another useful research tool for federal grants is the www.grants.gov web site.
For 50 years, the members of the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians (ATNI) have provided regional leadership, and advocacy, for Northwest Tribal interests. Established in 1953 by Tribal leaders, ATNI represents 52 Tribes from primarily Oregon, Washington, Idaho, with additional member Tribes in Alaska, Western Montana, Nevada, and Northern California.
The ATNI EDC Revolving Loan Fund is a private, non-profit, Indian controlled community development fund that provides loans and technical support to Tribal for-profit enterprises for the purpose of expansion, re-location, or start-up. RLF loans are primarily made to ATNI-member Tribally owned and operated companies. Loans are also available to non-Tribal businesses involved in joint ventures with Tribal enterprises.
