GRANT OPPORTUNITY:
2021 Indian Equity Fund Small Business Grant

The Office of Indian Country Economic Development will begin accepting applications to the fiscal year 2021 Indian Equity Fund Small Business Grant program starting Aug. 1, 2020.

PURPOSE: Assist startup or expanding Native American businesses in Montana.

GRANT APPLICATION PERIOD: Aug. 1 to Sept. 30, 2020

ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS: The funds are available to enrolled members of the tribes in Montana. All applications must include documentation of tribal enrollment in the form of a Certificate of Degree of Indian Blood (CDIB) or tribal ID. An application will be considered incomplete without this information.

GRANT AMOUNT: Awards for individual businesses can be up to $14,000 with a minimum dollar-to-dollar cash or in-kind match ($1:$1) and must be firmly committed and documented in the application.

Funding for the family of programs under the ICED funding (Tribal Business Planning Grant (TBPG), Indian Equity Fund (IEF) Small Business Grant, and the Native American Business Advisors (NABA) Grant) was passed by the 66th Montana State Legislature as part of House Bill 2 and signed into law by Governor Steve Bullock in May 2019. These programs allow the Indian Country Programs to continue to articulate measurable success for investing in business and economic development activities on reservations in partnership with tribal governments for the benefit of tribal communities and members.