TAHLEQUAH, OK – The U.S. Department of the Treasury selected the Cherokee Nation among 14 state and tribal grant awardees to support small businesses in Northeast Oklahoma.
Cherokee Nation and Chickasaw Nation were the only two tribes awarded through the $75 million competitive grant, Investing in America Small Business Opportunity Program. The tribes will each receive $2 million. The State of Oklahoma is also an awardee, receiving $4.2 million for an Oklahoma Center of Science and Technology cybersecurity program.
“Small businesses are the lifeblood of communities across the Cherokee Nation reservation,” said Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. “Small businesses provide access to food, services and income for many Cherokee families. This grant will support underserved small businesses, connecting them to local financing, supply chains and other technical assistance they need to thrive.”
Cherokee Nation and Chickasaw Nation will each receive $2 million through the technical-assistance program. The State of Oklahoma is also an awardee, receiving $4.2 million for an Oklahoma Center of Science and Technology cybersecurity program.
The program is supplementary to the Biden-Harris administration’s much larger State Small Business Credit Initiative, through which Cherokee Nation is slated to receive $86 million for small business loans, which Chief Hoskin announced during his annual State of the Nation address during the Cherokee National Holiday.
The overall grant program is designed to activate private-sector investment by supporting small businesses with needed legal, accounting and financial advisory services.
“This grant represents an important opportunity to uplift and empower Cherokee-owned small businesses,” said Cherokee Nation Deputy Chief Bryan Warner. “These critical federal dollars will enable the tribe to invest in Cherokee entrepreneurs, ensuring they have the tools to succeed long term. Within our reservation, locally owned businesses drive the economy and build strong Cherokee communities.”
Cherokee Nation Commerce Services will lead the Cherokee Nation efforts on the project. Commerce Services builds the economic security of Cherokee Nation citizens and communities through small-business development.