Indian Affairs | Tribal Business Capacity Building
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Building Tribal Business Capacity

DED seeks to empower tribes to build the kind of communities and economies they desire.  It does this by offering:

  • Economic Development Feasibility Studies

DED funds tribes and tribal businesses (on a competitive and juried basis) to obtain economic development feasibility studies prepared by graduate schools and consultants chosen by tribal applicants themselves.

  • Training for Indian Reorganization Act (IRA) Section 17 Corporate Formation and Amendment

Nearly eighty years ago, Congress provided tribes with the statutory means to charter tribal businesses that preserve tribal tax immunity, sovereignty and assets.  DED trains tribal leaders and attorneys how to charter and amend these IRA Section 17 corporations.

  • Business Formation Training

DED provides online resources to help tribes understand the differences between Indian businesses organized as an IRA Section 17 corporation, a tribally chartered corporation, a state-law corporation, a Subchapter S corporation, a limited liability company, a general partnership, and a limited partnership - and the relative advantages and disadvantages of each.