New Mexico State University’s (NMSU) American Indian Business Enterprise Center (AIBE) and San Juan College (SJC) awarded grants to support Native American businesses.
The U.S. Department of the Interior, Office of Indian Economic Development, awarded New Mexico State University’s (NMSU) American Indian Business Enterprise Center (AIBE) and San Juan College (SJC) a $900,000 Indian Business Incubator Program grant for three years with an option of an additional three years to open our new AIBE Incubator.
To kick off the grant, a ribbon-cutting event was recently held at San Juan College’s Big Idea Makerspace, located in the Quality Center for Business, 5101 College Blvd., in Farmington, New Mexico.
Funding from this grant will allow NMSU Arrowhead Center’s AIBE and SJC Enterprise Center to increase entrepreneurial training and provide a place to work and a makerspace to Native American entrepreneurs in the Navajo Nation, Jicarilla Apache, Ute Mountain Ute, and Southern Ute tribes.
“This partnership puts all the pieces together to provide a complete entrepreneurial ecosystem for Native businesses to create and succeed,” said Janice Krish, Enterprise Center director.
This grant will provide customized business incubation and technical resources to Native American-owned businesses and entrepreneurs to overcome the unique obstacles they confront. Businesses will be provided the necessary tools to grow and offer products and services to reservation communities and beyond.
Grants fund training and assistance
Training and assistance covered by the grants include:
- Incubator space: offices, conference room, and a classroom
- Priority membership to San Juan College’s Big Idea Makerspace
- Entrepreneurial and Tech Training: technology, financial, management, and marketing education
- Mentorship and one-on-one advising
“The American Indian Business Enterprise Center looks forward to this partnership with San Juan College in supporting Native entrepreneurs in the Four Corners area. We are very grateful for the Office of Indian Economic Development, Bureau of Indian Affairs, for entrusting us with this IBIP award to help serve our Native communities,” says Brooke Montgomery, AIBE Center and Incubator director.
For more information, contact: Enterprise Center Director Janice Krish at krishj@sanjuancollege.edu; or AIBE Director Brooke Montgomery at mbrooke@nmsu.edu.
