- Details
- By Minnesota Indigenous Business Alliance
Comprehensive online tool easily identifies and promotes Native-led business
ST. PAUL, MN – Entrepreneurs, procurement officers and the public are set to benefit from the Buy Native Biz Directory recently launched by the Minnesota Indigenous Business Alliance (MNIBA), a Minnesota based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. This online public Native directory is designed to assist and support Native businesses in the pursuit of business opportunities, including federal and state procurement. It is free to use and offers both free listings and paid upgraded subscriptions.
Buy Native Biz Directory is a unique online business directory created to provide a practical and user-friendly service that elevates and showcases Native trade and exchange nationwide. It was designed from the ground up with Native trade and exchange in mind, making it easier to locate and promote Native-led businesses, artists, professionals, social enterprises, nonprofits, tribal colleges, and tribal governments.
“We were determined to showcase the depth and diversity of talent found in Native businesses throughout the U.S.,” says Pamela Standing, MNIBA Co-Executive Director, “and we are excited to share this directory as a tool which creates a footprint of equity from the smallest Native business to the largest so that they are all visible.”
To add your business profile listing in the Buy Native Biz Directory visit: directory.mniba.org
About Minnesota Indigenous Business Alliance (MNIBA): MNIBA is a Native led and governed 501c3 nonprofit serving Native entrepreneurs, artists, and businesses. It serves as a critical resource provider and connector linking entrepreneurs to opportunities that support, elevate, and showcase Native innovation. www.mniba.org
Help us tell the stories that could save Native languages and food traditions
At a critical moment for Indian Country, Native News Online is embarking on our most ambitious reporting project yet: "Cultivating Culture," a three-year investigation into two forces shaping Native community survival—food sovereignty and language revitalization.
The devastating impact of COVID-19 accelerated the loss of Native elders and with them, irreplaceable cultural knowledge. Yet across tribal communities, innovative leaders are fighting back, reclaiming traditional food systems and breathing new life into Native languages. These aren't just cultural preservation efforts—they're powerful pathways to community health, healing, and resilience.
Our dedicated reporting team will spend three years documenting these stories through on-the-ground reporting in 18 tribal communities, producing over 200 in-depth stories, 18 podcast episodes, and multimedia content that amplifies Indigenous voices. We'll show policymakers, funders, and allies how cultural restoration directly impacts physical and mental wellness while celebrating successful models of sovereignty and self-determination.
This isn't corporate media parachuting into Indian Country for a quick story. This is sustained, relationship-based journalism by Native reporters who understand these communities. It's "Warrior Journalism"—fearless reporting that serves the 5.5 million readers who depend on us for news that mainstream media often ignores.
We need your help right now. While we've secured partial funding, we're still $450,000 short of our three-year budget. Our immediate goal is $25,000 this month to keep this critical work moving forward—funding reporter salaries, travel to remote communities, photography, and the deep reporting these stories deserve.
Every dollar directly supports Indigenous journalists telling Indigenous stories. Whether it's $5 or $50, your contribution ensures these vital narratives of resilience, innovation, and hope don't disappear into silence.
The stakes couldn't be higher. Native languages are being lost at an alarming rate. Food insecurity plagues many tribal communities. But solutions are emerging, and these stories need to be told.
Support independent Native journalism. Fund the stories that matter.
Levi Rickert (Potawatomi), Editor & Publisher