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Washington, D.C. – On Wednesday afternoon, the Native American Business Incubators Program Act, legislation cosponsored by Congressman Don Young (R-AK), was signed into law. The Native American Business Incubators Program Act provides essential services such as workspace, collaborative environments, comprehensive business skills training, and access to professional networks that will help increase the availability of startup capital for Alaska Native communities and tribal organizations across the country. These services are funded through three-year grants to entities with ties to Native communities, higher education institutions, and other related organizations.

“My late wife, my children, and my grandchildren are all Alaska Native. To me, breaking the cycle of poverty in Indian Country isn’t just an important policy goal, it’s personal,” said Congressman Young. “This legislation helps empower Indigenous entrepreneurs and boost investment in our Alaska Native communities. I am proud to have helped it get across the finish line, and I am grateful to President Trump for signing it into law. Tackling poverty and expanding opportunity in Native communities will continue to be a priority of mine. In Congress, I will always stand up for Alaska Natives and their entrepreneurial goals.”

Poverty and unemployment rates in tribal communities are nearly triple the national average. Federal programs designed to support the social and economic well-being of Native Americans remain chronically underfunded and sometimes inefficiently structured, which leaves many basic needs in Native communities unmet, and contributes ongoing inequities.

The full text of the bill can be found here.

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