NAFOA is excited to welcome Chance Rush as the emcee for NAFOA’s 2024 Fall Finance & Tribal Economies Conference.

Chance travels throughout the United States and Canada to work with Native communities in efforts to inspire, heal, motivate, and energize. He has a talent for using his energy and humor to spread a simple message, “Use your personal talents to lead you to greatness.” Don’t miss Chance at the General Sessions and Awards Luncheon.

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Good governance is essential for any organization to function effectively. This is especially true for Tribal councils, who have fiduciary responsibilities over both government and business operations and must navigate complex laws and regulations while safeguarding the future of its Tribal members (citizens).

To achieve good governance, intentionally adopting practices that can help establish an effective environment as well as aligning council members to priorities, duties, and overall deportment creates a governance infrastructure that fosters productivity and consistency.

Explore best practices that can help build an effective Tribal council, increase your Tribal council’s success, and move your Tribe forward.

Source: Moss Adams Continue Reading

President Biden’s income-driven repayment plan, Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE), was recently challenged in lower courts and rejected by the Supreme Court last week. The Biden administration implemented the SAVE plan to alleviate the costs of student loans by raising the income exemption and lowering monthly discretionary payments from 10% to 5%. SAVE would have also offered earlier forgiveness for borrowers from 20 or 25 years to 10 years.

In a deal between Congress and the Biden Administration, the Department of Education resumed payments and interest accrual on federal student loans in the Fall of 2023. However, on Sept. 30th, servicers will have the authority to report incomplete payments to credit agencies. For a majority of federal loans, 270 days of missed payments will result in default. Borrowers who were on the SAVE plan that was recently rejected can contact their student loan servicer for alternative repayment plans

Identify Your Student Loan Servicer

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced the availability of approximately $3.48 million for two, five-year cooperative agreements to build the capacity of Tribal governments to restore land for productive use and healthy communities, reduce waste, prevent environmental contamination and prepare for and respond to environmental emergencies in Indian country.

“These cooperative agreements will help bring together Tribes to share their experience and expertise in managing land cleanup and emergency response challenges,” said Clifford Villa, EPA Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Office of Land and Emergency Management. “We are building the partnerships and capacity that will benefit Tribes for years to come as we collectively work to revitalize Tribal communities and protect the environment.”

Through the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), EPA anticipates awarding two cooperative agreements to one recipient. The awardee will provide training, technical assistance, research, and tools to Tribal environmental staff to build capacity on waste management, cleanup, pollution prevention, and emergency response programs in Indian country.

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Learn More

The Finance & Investment Director is responsible for directing, overseeing, and providing guidance to the various functional areas within the Ho-Chunk Nation Department of Treasury, and collaborating with other departments as well as the Trust & Investment Commission to facilitate continuous improvement.

Learn More & Apply at nafoa.org/jobs