{"id":415525,"date":"2026-02-09T10:47:24","date_gmt":"2026-02-09T16:47:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/?p=415525"},"modified":"2026-02-13T16:04:35","modified_gmt":"2026-02-13T22:04:35","slug":"nafoa-5-things-you-need-to-know-this-week-february-9-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2026\/02\/09\/nafoa-5-things-you-need-to-know-this-week-february-9-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"NAFOA: 5 Things You Need to Know This Week (February 9, 2026)"},"content":{"rendered":" \"NAFOA\"<\/a>
From left: AFOA Board President Chairman Rodney Butler (Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation), Chairman Derrick Watchman with the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development, House of Natural Resources Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs Chairman Jeff Hurd (R-CO), Ranking Member of Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-NM), Chairwoman Hope Silvas (Shivwitz Band of Paiutes), Co-chair Haven Harris of the Native American Contractors Association Board of Directors. Photo courtesy NAFOA<\/a><\/figcaption>\r\n
5 Things You Need to Know This Week<\/div>\r\n
NAFOA and Tribal Leaders Testify Before Oversight Hearing<\/div>\r\n
Monday, February 9, 2026<\/div>\r\n
Source: NAFOA<\/div>\r\n
nafoa.org<\/a><\/div>\r\n

<\/P>\r\n

1. NAFOA NEWS<\/em><\/div>\r\n
NAFOA and Tribal Leaders Testify Before Oversight Hearing, \u201cMaking Federal Economic Development Programs Work in Indian Country\u201d<\/div>\r\nOn Tuesday, February 3rd, NAFOA Board President Chairman Rodney Butler (Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation) testified before the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Indian & Insular Affairs Oversight Hearing on \u201cMaking Federal Economic Development Programs Work in Indian Country.\u201d This hearing focused on the barriers Tribes face when seeking to access federal economic development programs and on how to overcome them.\r\n

<\/P>\r\nIn his testimony, President Butler also highlighted the importance of Tribal access and the effectiveness of federal economic development programs:\r\n

<\/P>\r\n\u201cFederal programs and tax policy represent critical tools for addressing historic economic disparities in Indian Country. But these tools are only effective when Tribes can access them without navigating decades of regulatory neglect\u2026 when Tribes have both access to federal support and a regulatory environment designed with Tribal sovereignty in mind, we build not just sustainable economies\u2014we build thriving, self-determined communities that benefit entire regions.\u201d\r\n

<\/P>\r\nContinue Reading the Policy Alert<\/a>\r\n\r\n

<\/P>\r\n

2. COMMUNITY<\/em><\/div>\r\n
U.S. Mint Honors Oneida War Heroine Polly Cooper on the 2026 Native American $1 Coin<\/div>\r\nThe United States Mint has released the design for the 2026 Native American $1 Coin, honoring Polly Cooper of the Oneida Indian Nation. Cooper helped deliver food and supplies to General George Washington\u2019s Continental Army during the winter encampment at Valley Forge in 1777\u201378.\r\n

<\/P>\r\nThe coin appears as part of the Native American $1 Coin Program. Congress established the program in 2009 to recognize the contributions of tribal nations and Native American individuals to the United States.\r\n

<\/P>\r\nSource: Coinweek\r\nContinue Reading<\/a>\r\n\r\n

<\/P>\r\n

3. POLICY<\/em><\/div>\r\n
Davids, Colleagues Reintroduce Bipartisan Bill to Support Native American Entrepreneurs<\/div>\r\nRepresentative Sharice Davids (D-KS-03) reintroduced her bipartisan Native American Entrepreneurial Opportunity Act, legislation to strengthen the Small Business Administration\u2019s (SBA) Office of Native American Affairs (ONAA) and expand support for Native entrepreneurs. The bill passed the House with strong bipartisan support in 2024 and advanced out of committee in the Senate in 2023, underscoring growing momentum to get it across the finish line.\r\n

<\/P>\r\nCurrently, the ONAA has a valuable but limited mission: to support Native American entrepreneurs, conduct outreach with tribal communities, and connect Native business owners with SBA resources. However, because the current SBA budget does not include explicit funding for the ONAA, the office can only support a small staff and can be unilaterally disbanded.\r\n

<\/P>\r\nThe Native American Entrepreneurial Opportunity Act would codify the ONAA into federal law, establishing an Assistant Administrator role to oversee its operations and report directly to SBA leadership. It would also create a better government-to-government working relationship with tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations. ONAA would also be able to expand its grant-making ability, conduct tribal consultation, utilize SBA\u2019s entrepreneurial and contracting programs, and provide training, counseling, and technical assistance.\r\n

<\/P>\r\nSource: Office of U.S. Representative Sharice Davids\r\nContinue Reading the Press Release<\/a>\r\n\r\n

<\/P>\r\nRead the Bill<\/a>\r\n\r\n

<\/P>\r\n

4. EVENT<\/em><\/div>\r\n
2nd Annual Tribal Clean Energy Finance Forum<\/div>\r\nApril 29-30\r\n

<\/P>\r\nNAFOA and the Alliance for Tribal Clean Energy (Alliance) announced a strategic partnership to host back-to-back conferences at the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, Nevada, from April 27-30, 2026. The collaboration offers Tribal leaders, finance officers, and energy decision-makers an unprecedented opportunity to participate in two valuable convenings in one location.\r\n

<\/P>\r\nNAFOA\u2019s 44th Annual Conference (April 27-28) will be immediately followed by the Alliance\u2019s 2nd Annual Tribal Clean Energy Finance Forum (April 29-30), creating a comprehensive four-day program focused on Tribal economic resilience and energy independence.\r\n

<\/P>\r\nThe Finance Forum is open to Tribal members and designated representatives.\r\n

<\/P>\r\nTravel Support Available
\r\nTravel stipends are available for leaders and representatives of federally and state-recognized Tribes with financial need, who attend the NAFOA conference and remain for the entire Finance Forum. Interested participants should contact info@tribalcleanenergy.org for details.\r\n

<\/P>\r\nSource: Alliance for Tribal Clean Energy\r\nRegister to Join<\/a>\r\n\r\n

<\/P>\r\n

5. JOB<\/em><\/div>\r\n
Finance Director, Picayune Rancheria of the Chukchansi Indians<\/div>\r\nThe Finance Director is responsible for leading and overseeing all financial operations of the Picayune Rancheria of the Chukchansi Indians, including programs and grants funded through federal, state, and tribal sources. This role ensures fiscal compliance, supports strategic budget development, and maintains accurate financial reporting across the organization. Working closely with Department Directors and the Tribal Administrator, the Finance Director plays a key role in fiscal planning, grant oversight, and sustaining financial transparency and integrity throughout all departments.\r\n

<\/P>\r\nLearn More & Apply at nafoa.org\/jobs<\/a>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NAFOA and Tribal Leaders Testify Before Oversight Hearing on Economic Development.","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":415538,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_vp_format_video_url":"","_vp_image_focal_point":[],"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,1,14],"tags":[5366,482,7136,4273,481,71,121,284,48,138,36,521,35,7137,3305,280,299,1753,569,44],"class_list":["post-415525","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","category-national","category-politics","tag-119th","tag-8a","tag-caifornia","tag-chukchansi","tag-contracting","tag-economic-development","tag-employment","tag-energy","tag-house","tag-meetings","tag-nafoa","tag-nevada","tag-oneida","tag-polly-cooper","tag-rodney-butler","tag-sba","tag-sharice-davids","tag-us-mint","tag-wars","tag-women","no-wpautop"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/13\/NAFOA-1.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pcoJ7g-1K61","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/415525","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=415525"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/415525\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":415540,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/415525\/revisions\/415540"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/415538"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=415525"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=415525"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=415525"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}