NAFOA: 5 Things You Need to Know this Week (March 3, 2025)

Indianz.Com > News > NAFOA: 5 Things You Need to Know this Week (March 3, 2025)

NAFOA Board President Chairman Butler of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation (right) connected with Senator Lisa Murkowski (left) after his testimony at the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs (SCIA) Oversight Hearing “Examine Native Communities’ Priorities for the 119th Congress.” In his testimony, President Butler highlighted key issues affecting tribal finance, business development, and economies, including the current funding freeze impacting many tribal programs. Murkowski was recently selected as Chairman of SCIA. Photo courtesy NAFOA

5 Things You Need to Know this Week

The Agenda is Live! Register Today for #NAFOA2025.

Monday, March 3, 2025

Source: NAFOA

nafoa.org

1. AGENDA:

Agenda Available for #NAFOA2025

The agenda is live, and registration is open for NAFOA’s 43rd Annual Conference, being held April 28-29, 2025 at the New Orleans Marriott.

The conference will offer two full days of high-quality, educational breakout sessions, and general sessions focused on discussing critical issues facing Indian Country. We can’t wait for you to join us in New Orleans!

View the Agenda

2. POLICY:

NAFOA Testifies Before House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies

Last week, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies concluded three days of hearings as part of their American Indian and Alaska Native Public Witness Hearings.

Witnesses included Tribal Leaders and heads of Tribal Organizations, including NAFOA’s Executive Director Cory Blankenship. NAFOA’s testimony focused on trust and treaty obligations, federal funding to Tribes, and parity for Tribal Nations and their enterprises. Blankenship urged Congress and federal agencies to uphold their commitments to Tribes.

Read the Testimony (PDF)

3. WEBINAR:

Developing Healthcare Facilities and Community Amenities with New Markets Tax Credits

Thursday, March 27 at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time

Native communities can use the New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) to support important economic development projects—from Tribal businesses to schools to public infrastructure. The program has provided gap funding for hundreds of millions of dollars in development across Indian Country.

The NMTC program can also be used to finance health care and wellness facilities. In this webinar, we will explain the fundamentals of the NMTC program and discuss how it can specifically support the health needs of your community.

If your Tribal nation received ARPA funds for a health care or wellness facility but still has a funding gap—or if parts of the project were reduced due to budget constraints—this financing tool can help. It can cover those gaps, pay for cost overruns, and support you in completing the project you envisioned.

Source: Travois Register to Attend

4. FUNDING:

Native American Agriculture Fund 2025 Request for Applications

NAAF is seeking applications that align with a variety of programmatic areas. These areas are informed by strategic planning activities, grantmaking outcomes and online survey responses. For the 2025 funding cycle, applications are sought across a wide variety of projects across several topical areas.

Eligible grant recipients are:

501(c)(3) organizations and nonprofit organizations with a Fiscal Sponsor
Educational organizations
Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) and Native CDFIs
Tribal governments (state and federally recognized) and their instrumentalities

Source: Native American Agriculture Fund Learn More & Apply

5. JOBS:

Policy Writing Services, Catawba Nation

Proposals Due Friday, March 21, 2025

The Catawba Indian Nation is soliciting proposals from professional firms or qualified individuals to provide Policy Writing services to assist with updating the Catawba Nation’s Grant’s Management Policy & Procedures. We are seeking an individual or firm with a proven track record in writing policies. Previous experience working with tribal governments is preferred. The individual or firm will work closely with the Grants and Compliance Deputy Director.

Learn More & Apply at nafoa.org/jobs