About Membership

Defending Sovereignty

Since our founding more than 80 years ago, NCAI has brought together Tribal leaders and citizens to speak with one voice in defense of our sovereignty. Today, we continue to honor that legacy. We ask you to join us and raise your voice for all of Indian Country. It is our legacy as Native people.

Membership Driven

NCAI is a membership-driven organization. Our strength comes from the unity, involvement, and expertise of its broad and representative membership — when more Tribal Nations, villages, communities, and individuals engage, our collective voice grows stronger. We engage in legislative and administrative advocacy on behalf of our membership and strive to ensure that all member Tribes and individuals are informed and educated about all issues affecting the well-being of Tribal Nations.

NCAI’s voting membership is composed of Tribal Nations and individuals who have met the eligibility criteria and paid dues as outlined in Article III of the NCAI By-Laws. Members are determined to be in good standing upon having fulfilled the credentialing requirements, also located in NCAI’s By-Laws.

Membership Categories & Benefits

NCAI’s membership consists of six categories:

Additional membership eligibility information is available in NCAI's Constitution and By-Laws.

About Tribal Nation Membership and Delegate Registration Process

NCAI Tribal Membership includes Tribal Nations that have met the eligibility criteria and the payment of dues as outlined in Article III of the NCAI By-Laws. The Annual membership cycle runs from October 1 to September 30 of each calendar year. All members are determined to be in good standing upon payment of Tribal dues.

To become a Member Tribe in good standing, apply here. Payment can be made by ACH, credit card, or check. If paying by check, please complete the online application and mail your payment to:

National Congress of American Indians
1516 P Street NW
Washington, DC 20005

During the application process, applicants must upload a Tribal Delegate Resolution determining who will represent them as an official voting Tribal Delegate and Delegate Alternate(s). This resolution must be for the current year, on the applicant’s Tribal letterhead, and use the language provided in this template. Tribal Delegates must be NCAI members in good standing: The voting delegate must have an active and current Individual Indian Membership or Lifetime Individual Indian Membership.

Download the Tribal Delegate Resolution Template

Applicable Excerpts from the NCAI By-Laws for the Tribal Membership Process

Article III, Section B: MEMBERS

III, B, 1(a): Tribal Membership

Any Tribe, band or identifiable group of American Indians and Alaska Natives shall be eligible for tribal membership provided it shall fulfill all of the following requirements:

1. A substantial number of its members reside upon the same reservation, or (in the absence of a reservation) in the same general locality;

2. It maintains a tribal organization, with regular officers and the means of transacting business and arriving at a reasonably accurate count of its membership;

3. It is not a mere offshoot or fraction of an organized tribe itself eligible for membership; and,

4. It is recognized as a tribe, or other identifiable group of American Indians by the Department of the Interior, Court of Claims, the Indian Claims Commission, or a State. An Indian or Alaska Native organization incorporated/ chartered under state law is not eligible for tribal membership.

III, B, 1(e): State Recognition

Indian tribes relying on state recognition to qualify for membership in NCAI shall provide evidence to the Chief Executive Officer and the Rules and Credentials Committee that the recognition was authorized under state law, and that the state government engaged in verification that the Indian tribe is a continuing community of interrelated descendants of a historic American Indian tribe or tribes.

If the state does not have a recognition process or the status of state recognition is unclear, the appropriate NCAI regional caucus may sponsor the membership of a particular tribe after engaging in verification that the Indian tribe is a continuing community of interrelated descendants of a historic American Indian tribe or tribes. This proposed tribal membership will be reviewed by the NCAI Executive Committee and then forwarded to the Rules and Credentials Committee.

III, B, 1(d): Votes

Each member tribe is entitled to 100-180 votes, depending upon the enrollment of the tribe. Each member tribe shall vote in accordance with the following table:

III, C, 2: Tribal Membership Dues

In accordance with the following table:

If revenue exceeds $60 million, please consider increasing your dues as a contribution to NCAI.

For further membership information, contact membership@ncai.org