Cherokee Nation Receives $86 Million to Support Small Native-Owned Businesses

The Cherokee Nation has been awarded a significant amount of funding from the U.S. Treasury to support small native-owned businesses across the country. The $86 million allocation will be used to provide essential financial assistance to these businesses, with the goal of helping them succeed and thrive.

One business owner who is set to benefit from this funding is Tyler Wagers, owner of Roxies BBQ in Tahlequah. Wagers has faced significant challenges as a native-owned business, but he sees this funding as an opportunity for growth and expansion.

"We have been in a struggle and in the trenches for the last three years," said Wagers. "We are just now within this year kind of really coming out of it, and this funding would be incredible."

The Cherokee Nation principal chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. expressed his excitement about the new funding opportunity. "This funding will help them succeed, and the more Cherokees that are succeeding in business, the better for the Cherokee nation and better for the generation to come up," he said.

Hoskin hopes that this funding will provide a significant economic boost to small indigenous businesses like Wagers' Roxies BBQ. According to Hoskin, there is limited support for these businesses, making this investment particularly welcome.

The $86 million allocation will be distributed through partnerships with local banks, and Cherokee Nation Commerce Services encourages native-owned business owners to reach out if they are interested in applying for federal funding.

For more information, call the Cherokee Nation Commerce Services at (918) 453-5536.