WASHINGTON, D.C. | The National Congress of American Indians is proud to announce, with support from Google.org, the Small Business Stabilization Grant program – a $1 million investment in Indian Country. This new funding is an expansion of a $250k NCAI small business support program, also funded by Google.org.

NCAI is issuing business stabilization grants in the amount of $5,000 each to a total of 170 Native-owned small businesses that have been severely impacted by the curtailing of commercial activity caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Awarded applicants can use the funds to address their most urgent needs to stabilize and strengthen their businesses, such as (but not limited to):

• making monthly payments on small business loans that have lapsed due to declining business revenues;
• keeping employees employed;
• paying their vendors; and/or
• purchasing equipment/software to transition or grow their businesses online.

“Native-owned small businesses serve as the lifeblood of many tribal communities across the country,” said NCAI President Fawn Sharp. “These businesses provide critical jobs and income to tribal citizens and their families, while at the same time enriching the quality of community life by providing goods and services to local residents and the public at-large. We are humbled by this support from Google.org and look forward to continuing to support American Indian and Alaska Native communities with this funding.”

“Google.org is proud to continue supporting NCAI to provide direct relief funding to the Native small business community,” said Olivia Hoeft, Google.org spokesperson and Google American Indian Network lead. “We're also working with NCAI to provide free Grow with Google training and support to more than 5,000 Indigenous business owners in the US to access digital tools and skills needed to grow."

To learn more about and apply for the Small Business Stabilization grant, please visit www.ncai.org/Covid-19. Read more about Google.org’s support for Indigenous businesses in the U.S. here. 

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About the National Congress of American Indians
Founded in 1944, the National Congress of American Indians is the oldest, largest and most representative American Indian and Alaska Native organization in the country. NCAI advocates on behalf of tribal governments and communities, promoting strong tribal-federal government-to-government policies, and promoting a better understanding among the general public regarding American Indian and Alaska Native governments, people and rights. For more information, visit www.ncai.org.

About Google.org
Google.org, Google's philanthropy, supports nonprofits that address humanitarian issues and apply scalable, data-driven innovation to solving the world's biggest challenges. We accelerate their progress by connecting them with a unique blend of support that includes funding, products, and technical expertise from Google volunteers. We engage with these believers-turned-doers who make a significant impact on the communities they represent, and whose work has the potential to produce meaningful change. We want a world that works for everyone—and we believe technology and innovation can move the needle.