About Us
Helping Native Communities Thrive Since 1974
Established in 1974 through the Native American Programs Act (NAPA), the Administration for Native Americans (ANA) serves all Native Americans, including federally recognized tribes, American Indian and Alaska Native organizations, Native Hawaiian organizations and Native populations throughout the Pacific Basin (including American Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands).
ANA promotes self-sufficiency for Native Americans by providing discretionary grant funding for community based projects, and training and technical assistance to eligible tribes and native organizations.
ANA Philosophy
We believe community members are at the heart of lasting, positive change. ANA’s philosophy of native self-sufficiency is based on the following core beliefs:
- A native community is self-sufficient when it can generate and control the resources necessary to meet its social and economic goals and the needs of its members.
- The responsibility for achieving self-sufficiency resides with native governing bodies and local leadership.
- Progress toward self-sufficiency is based on efforts to plan and direct resources in a comprehensive manner consistent with long-range goals.
ANA Goals
- Fostering the development of stable diversified local economies and economic activities to provide jobs, promote community and economic well-being, encourage community partnerships and reduce dependency on public funds and social services.
- Supporting local access to, control of and coordination of services and programs that safeguard the health and well-being of native children and families
- Increasing the number of projects involving youth and intergenerational activities in Native American communities