Tribal Leaders Program, Harvard Business School, June 2024

The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) is committed to building and protecting Tribal sovereignty, supporting healthy Tribal governments, and fostering vibrant Tribal communities. Central to that task is equipping Tribal leaders with the knowledge, skills, tools, and strategies they need to advance those fundamental priorities on behalf of their Tribal Nations.

In 2023, NCAI established two interconnected initiatives to provide intensive professional development and leadership training to Indian Country. Learn more about these two programs below.

Media Training and Communications Fellowship

Hosted at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communications at ASU, this fellowship provides targeted learning and hands-on practice for Tribal leaders and Tribal communications professionals who wish to increase their communication skills and expand their media presence to meet their community needs. The curriculum will be tailored to and facilitated by Native voices with knowledge of the unique media landscape of Indian Country.

Elected Tribal leaders will be granted first priority.

Building public speaking strategies and confidence

Effective storytelling to advance policy and community initiatives

Navigating diverse interview environments

Identifying how to address challenges facing communities

Developing and delivering effective messages across multiple platforms

Creating and maintaining relationships with news media

Understanding how to tailor messages to particular audiences

 Arizona State University's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication

includes lunch and snacks on all program days

Leading Tribal Nations Executive 
Education Program at Harvard Business School

In collaboration with Harvard Business School, NCAI offers the Leading Tribal Nations Program, designed to equip Tribal leaders with the knowledge and skills to strengthen their strategic governance capacity. During the five-day program, Tribal leaders will engage in collaborative learning and problem-solving through the case-study model facilitated on the Harvard Business School campus.

The Empowering Leaders Series is made possible through the generous support of the Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation. NCAI deeply appreciates their essential role in establishing and sustaining the endowment that supports the growth and empowerment of Tribal leaders across Indian Country.

Empowering Leaders

In recent decades, tribes have witnessed the negative impact of a lack of both judicial diversity and knowledge of federal Indian law on tribal sovereignty and the ability of tribes to self-govern. Recent federal-court decisions have undermined longstanding Indian policy in crucial areas, including tribal adjudicative authority over non-Indians; the power of tribal governments to tax certain activities by non-Indians on tribal lands; the authority of the Secretary of the Interior to take land into trust for tribes; and the scope of the federal government’s trust responsibility to Indians. Whether done consciously or not, the federal judiciary has succeeded in dismantling favorable precedent and creating new law that disregards tribal sovereignty and will harm tribal interests if applied in future cases.

In response to disastrous court opinions and legislative attacks on the status of tribal governments, tribal leaders formed the Tribal Sovereignty Protection Initiative (TSPI) in September, 2001. Tribal leaders structured the TSPI as four separate components: the Legislative Committee, the Tribal Supreme Court Project, the Federal Judicial Selection Project, and the Education and Public Outreach Committee—all working together toward the common goal to protect tribal sovereignty. Under this framework, tribal leaders, attorneys, and other experts have coordinated and developed an array of educational, legal, political, and grassroots strategies.

One of TSPI’s key components, on which NCAI continues to work daily, is the NCAI Project on the Judiciary. The Project is a comprehensive effort that has primarily focused on ensuring that the federal judiciary is composed of judges that understand federal Indian law and the contours of tribal sovereignty. The Project has hosted several groundbreaking meetings between tribal leaders and federal appellate judges. However, with the current dearth of Native judges on the federal bench, the Project recently expanded its outreach and education campaign in tribal communities and judicial circles in hopes of getting more Native attorneys involved in the judicial selection process.

NCAI will continue to work toward fulfillment of the Project’s goals by expanding its outreach and educational efforts and ensuring that qualified Native American candidates are given fair consideration during the federal judicial selection process.

For more information on the NCAI Project on the Judiciary, please visit 

Project on the Judiciary

Ending the Era of Harmful Native “Themed” Mascots

NCAI's Longstanding Opposition to Harmful Native "Themed" Sports Mascots

As the nation's oldest, largest, and most representative American Indian and Alaska Native advocacy organization, NCAI has long held a clear position against derogatory and harmful stereotypes of Native people—including sports mascots—in media and popular culture. Since NCAI launched its campaign to address stereotypes of Native people in popular culture, media, and sports in 1968, 

 in pursuit of ending the era of unsanctioned Native “themed” mascots.

NCAI's position is clear, longstanding, and deeply rooted in our 78 years as a leading voice for Indian Country — we advocate for and protect the civil rights, social justice, and racial equity of all Native people in all parts of American society.

NCAI's Work to Retire Unsanctioned Native "Themed" Mascots

NCAI is the oldest, largest, and most representative national organization sharing the unified voice of hundreds of Tribal Nations representing millions of Native people, and that voice has been consistent and clear for decades: unsanctioned sports mascots are symbols of disrespect that degrade, mock, and harm Native people, particularly Native youth. NCAI’s work to retire “Indian” or Native “themed” mascots, used interchangeably, is guided by our numerous resolutions pertaining to cultural appropriation and the harmful effects of these mascots. These resolutions—passed via consensus among NCAI membership—emphasize the importance of education by means of tribally-informed curriculum, such that stereotypical appropriation gives way to sanctioned representation. For decades, NCAI largely focused its efforts on ending Native “themed” mascots at the professional level, directing specific attention to the former mascot of the NFL’s Washington "Commanders". In 2020, NCAI formally expanded the initiative to include work at the K-12 level, which included the development of a National School Mascot Tracking Database. In 2021, NCAI further expanded the initiative to include work at the state level, developing a State Activity Tracker and engaging directly with state legislatures pursuing mascot bans through legislation.

NCAI’s Ending “Indian” Mascots initiative currently focuses on three primary levels: the K-12 school level, the state level, and the professional sports level.

Proud To Be

The mission of the Tribal Interior Budget Council (TIBC) is to provide an advisory government-to-government forum and process for Tribes and the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) to develop budgets that allow for the fulfillment of Tribes' self-determination, self-governance, sovereignty, and treaty rights, as well as sufficient levels of funding to address the needs of Tribes and their tribal citizens.

NOTICE: The TIBC cooperative agreement between the DOI and NCAI expired on January 1, 2026. DOI will lead all TIBC meeting coordination and planning in-house. NCAI will continue to update Tribal Leaders on TIBC developments, but Meeting Materials for future meetings will not be available through NCAI. Meeting Materials for previous meetings held in accordance with the previous cooperative agreement will be maintained for archival purposes.

Update: Written Comments and Focused TIBC Session

 inviting Tribal Nations to submit written comments by 

focused TIBC session in Washington, D.C., on 

, where discussions will center on the FY2028 budget process and the future structure of TIBC itself.

, to ensure Tribal Leaders are fully informed and prepared to engage in the next chapter of TIBC. Please join NCAI as we walk through the DOI letter, provide resources and talking points to help Tribal Leaders craft meaningful comment letters, and outline upcoming engagement opportunities to ensure your Nation's priorities are heard.

Please note: All questions related to the May 19–20 consultation session should be directed to [BIA contact info].

Upcoming Tribal Interior Budget Council Meeting

We regret to inform you that the Tribal Interior Budget Council (TIBC) Fall 2025 meeting, originally scheduled for November 3-6, 2025, has been cancelled.

We understand this creates uncertainty and inconvenience, and we sincerely apologize for the disruption to your schedules.

We are committed to working with the Department of the Interior (DOI), TIBC Tribal Representatives, and Indian Affairs to continue convening meeting(s) on critical budget matters. More information will be made available as we know more in the future. We will continue to monitor the situation and will provide updates regarding potential meeting dates as we learn more.

Thank you for your understanding and patience during this time. We value your participation and look forward to the next meeting when we are able to do so.

Please watch for further communications regarding potential upcoming meeting dates.

26 IAM 3 – Distribution of Resources Signed

The Indian Affairs Manual (IAM) for distribution of resources (26 IAM 3 – Distribution of Resources) has been finalized and signed. The IAM provides guidance to all Indian Affairs staff on fund distribution processes, including standard timelines for fund processing for direct appropriations to Indian Affairs for Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), Bureau of Indian Education (BIE), and Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs (AS-IA) programs. The Manual establishes a consistent process throughout Indian Affairs for distributing funds to tribal nations. There is a link within the IAM that takes you to several attachments that show examples of various forms used in the distribution processes, flow charts of the overall processes, and templates for individual programs that describe the methodology and calculations used for all funding that is distributed to tribal nations. This effort was completed to ensure standard approaches at all levels within Indian Affairs that will lead to improved efficiency and timeliness in the distribution of funds to tribal nations. All offices and programs are expected to use the processes outlined and to strive towards meeting the timelines outlined within the IAM and templates.

The IAM can be found here: 

 once you get to this page, scroll down to Part 26 Budget and then scroll up to Chapter 3 (the PART title appears under the chapters). Once you have the manual open, you will see the link that takes you to the attachments within Section 1.1 Purpose. You can also find those attachments hosted on the OBPM webpage 

View the latest TIBC meeting materials here.

 of TIBC Representatives, Revised April 2023

TIBC Member Orientation Webinar: The Federal Budget Process & TIBC

DOI Tribal Consultation: Focused TIBC Session 2026

 inviting Tribal Nations to submit written comments by April 17, 2026, and participate in a 

focused TIBC session in Washington, D.C., on May 19-20, 2026

, at 2:00 p.m. ET, to ensure Tribal Leaders are fully informed and prepared to engage in the next chapter of TIBC. Please join NCAI as we walk through the DOI letter, provide resources and talking points to help Tribal Leaders craft meaningful comment letters, and outline upcoming engagement opportunities to ensure your Nation's priorities are heard.

NOTE: The TIBC cooperative agreement between the DOI and NCAI expired on January 1, 2026. DOI will lead all TIBC meeting coordination and planning in-house. NCAI will continue to update Tribal Leaders on TIBC developments, but Meeting Materials for future meetings will not be available through NCAI. The Meeting Materials below are maintained for archival purposes.

TIBC Meeting Materials - August 2025 TIBC Meeting

FY27 Executive Summary Tribal Interior Budget Council 5.7.25

Division of Facilities Management & Construction & BIE Presentation

Land, Water, and Natural Resources Subcommittee

Land, Water, and Natural Resources Subcommittee Agenda

Land, Water, and Natural Resources Subcommittee Report

Public Safety and Justice Subcommittee Agenda

Public Safety and Justice Subcommittee Report

Fiscal Year 2027 Bureau of Indian Education Appropriations

Letter to Sec of Interior on Lack of Response from the BIA

Johnson O’Malley Cost Adjustments Following Updated Student Counts from 25 U.S.C. 5301

Strategic Lifting of BIE Hiring Freeze for School Employees

Request to Fully Fund the BIA Road Maintenance Program at $58 Million for FY2026

Tribal Interior Budget Council Past Meetings 

Two resolutions were passed at the March 2025 TIBC Meeting.

 Asserting Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) Schools are Schools of Choice and Opposing Voucher Program Proposed under BIE through Executive Order

 Calling on the Administration to Limit Impacts of Federal Hiring Freezes and Reductions in Workforce on Tribal Nations

Approved meeting minutes from August 2024 meeting

Draft meeting minutes from November 2024 meeting

2027 National Tribal Priority Program Ranking by Category & Program

FY27 Education Ranking Tribal v. BIE Funded Schools

Bureau of Trust Funds Administration Budget Strategy

Office of Indian Economic Development Updates

Congressional Research Service BIA Budget Review

Two resolutions were passed at the November 2024 TIBC meeting

Calling on the BIA Division of Transportation to Conduct a Third-Party Review of the Tribal Transportation Program Funding Distribution Formula

Calling Upon Congress to Enact Legislation Regarding USDA Authority to Enter into Co-Management Agreements, Contracts, and Compacts with Tribes for Lands Under US Forest System Jurisdiction

Meeting Materials


Created at the November 2015 TIBC meeting

Public Safety and Justice Workgroup Documents

TIBC Workgroups

Tribal Interior Budget Council


In response to disastrous court opinions and legislative attacks on the status of tribal governments, tribal leaders formed the Tribal Sovereignty Protection Initiative (TSPI) in September, 2001. Tribal leaders structured the TSPI as four separate components: the Legislative Committee, the Tribal Supreme Court Project, the Federal Judicial Selection Project, and the Education and Public Outreach Committee—all working together toward the common goal of protecting tribal sovereignty. Under this framework, tribal leaders, attorneys, and other experts have coordinated and developed an array of educational, legal, political, and grassroots strategies.

A key component of the TSPI on which NCAI continues to work daily is the Tribal Supreme Court Project. The Tribal Supreme Court Project—a collaboration between NCAI and the Native American Rights Fund— monitors litigation in which Native people have a significant stake and coordinates strategy among a network of over 250 tribal leaders, attorneys, and law professors. That strategy includes the preparation and submission, where appropriate, of amicus briefs on behalf of tribes or tribal organizations. Efforts like these have succeeded in slowing and, in some instances, reversing the detrimental impacts of federal court decisions.

Protection of tribal sovereignty in US courts is fundamental to the continued existence of tribes as distinct peoples and cultures. NCAI is dedicated to protecting tribal sovereignty and treaty rights through the courts.

For additional information on the Tribal Supreme Court Project, please visit 

Tribal Supreme Court Project

NCAI’s partnerships and initiatives blend together the knowledge of our members and our organization with the power of direct and on-the-ground efforts in tribal communities, coalition efforts, and national education and information campaigns.

As a unifying entity, NCAI has the ability to bring government, private, and public sector partners together to take on some of Indian Country’s greatest challenges

Empowering Leaders

Empowering Leaders Initiative

Media Training and Communications Fellowship

Fellows will learn:

Details:

Leading Tribal Nations Executive
Education Program at Harvard Business School

Who We Are

Our Work

News & Events

Resources

Get Involved

Contractor Opportunities

Empowering Leaders

Empowering Leaders Initiative

Media Training and Communications Fellowship

Fellows will learn:

Details:

Leading Tribal Nations Executive Education Program at Harvard Business School

Who We Are

Our Work

News & Events

Resources

Get Involved

Contractor Opportunities

Leading Tribal Nations Executive
Education Program at Harvard Business School