Program areas at NCAIED
American Indian procurement technical Center is operated through a cooperative agreement with the u.s. department of defense, defense logistics agency. Ncaied provides professional business consulting services and technical assistance to native American owned businesses regarding marketing and selling to federal, state, local and tribal governments and prime contractors. Assistance extends to all native American businesses (American Indian, Alaska native corporations and native hawaiians) and includes tribes and invidual businesses both on and off the reservations. Area of coverage is bureau of Indian affairs (bia) regions: 50% eastern region, 100% navajo and southwest regions. Other states surrounding the bia areas are served on a voluntary basis; any native American business can contact the main office for further information about becoming a client. Services are free of charge.
Minority business resource Development (mbda) - under the department of commerce, the mbda program addresses four identified core needs for American Indian, Alaska native, and native Hawaiian businesses including training, federal program coaching, access to capital, and fostering, developing and/or implementing entrepreneurial and economic Development. Key activities during the two-year project period will include four key components that will help to foster, promote, and develop ai/an/nh small businesses. Components include: 1. Native edge institutes (nei); 2. One- on-one business counseling/coaching; 3. Access to native edge platform; 4. Access to capital. Ncaied will hold eight, one-day native edge institutes in seven different states in the eastern area over a 2-year period, live streaming eight of these events so that they are accessible via the native edge technology platform for access to a broader audience across the service area.
National Indian reservation economic summit (res) conventions are American Indian economic and business Development gatherings held nationally and regionally. This event brings together American Indian and indigenous entrepreneurs, tribal economic and business Development decision-makers, tribal entities, tribal leaders, government agencies andkey corporate executives, buyers, suppliers and contractors. Res is the largest and longest running National American Indian business event in the nation.
Cdfi - ncaied is in the beginning stages of establishing a community Development financial institutions fund which, once established, will provide tribes and their business entities with access to affordable financial products and services. Native edge institutes (nei's) are one-day, in person training events that provide both established and aspiring business-owners critical business training. Nei's also connect participants to existing resources available in their region, to go along with one-on-one business counseling/coaching and matchmaking services. Federal program and procurement coaching, accessing capital via community Development financial institutions (cdfi), and navigating the sba and bureau of Indian affairs will also be featured prominently at nei events. The National Center technical assistance program (nctap) provides hybrid in-person and online native edge institute (nei) training events in eight states (Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Michigan, new york, Oregon, Utah, and Washington), that includes business Development training and counseling, and services specifically tailored to increasing native and tribally owned businesses' covid-19 resilience. In addition, the program assists Indian tribes and businesses in gaining access to economic opportunity and growth through access to business expertise and capital.