Guest Opinion. Cherokee Nation is trusted with dollars to provide services for our citizens, and we take that responsibility extremely seriously. Essential services like housing, health care, elder support and economic development depend on it. Whether our funding comes from tax revenue, federal grants and set-asides, or business profits, we track each dollar carefully to do the most good for Cherokees. The best financial decisions are made with transparency and accountability.
That’s why I was glad to see Cherokee Nation earn the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting by the Government Finance Officers Association. This is the highest level of recognition in governmental accounting and financial reporting from the leading organization for government finance professionals. With this recognition, Cherokees should feel confident in the financial reports of the Cherokee Nation.
These honors are the result of meticulous work by the Cherokee Nation Financial Resources Department, led by Treasurer Janees Taylor. Treasurer Taylor and her team oversee the tribe’s operating budget, as well as the accounting of multiple federal grants, employee payroll and purchasing. Our knowledgeable and well-trained staff are among the best in the United States.
Responding to the COVID-19 pandemic created extra responsibilities across our tribal government, and our financial resources team was no exception. They did a remarkable job overseeing the funding for Cherokee Nation’s COVID-19 Respond, Recover, and Rebuild relief programs as well as the CARES Act and American Rescue Plan funds from the federal government. Pandemic response brought big increases in transactions and reporting requirements, but, in historically difficult times, our team never wavered from their high standards.
We have many checks and balances to ensure Cherokee Nation funds are spent appropriately and properly documented. Cherokee Nation’s Annual Comprehensive Financial Report for the 2021 fiscal year was judged by an impartial panel to demonstrate full disclosure and communicate a clear financial story. The tribe was also awarded the Popular Annual Financial Reporting Award for our condensed version of the comprehensive report designed for non-accountants.
Additionally, the Cherokee Nation Constitution requires an audit of the financial statements by a Certified Public Accountant be completed and presented each year to the Council of the Cherokee Nation. We have received clean, unmodified audit opinions every year for 21 years, and over the last 20 years Cherokee Nation has passed more than 100 federal agency audits. These reflect a similar continuity – the tribe has a 99.999% success rate for properly spending and accounting for its federal funding.
Cherokee Nation Businesses also received another clean year-end audit, showing the tribe’s economic development arm ended its fiscal year with transparent operations while recording record profits. Cherokee Nation is one of the biggest economic drivers in northeast Oklahoma, injecting about $2.2 billion into the state’s economy through our government and business endeavors. That growth enables us to do even more to help Cherokee people through health care, housing and education.
Cherokee Nation’s budgets and financial practices reflect our values of honesty, accountability and caring for each other. Across multiple administrations, our in-house financial experts have proven to be astute stewards of the Cherokee Nation’s financial resources. We have been blessed with another year of growth at Cherokee Nation, and we are building a better future for the next generation.
Chuck Hoskin, Jr. is the principal chief of the Cherokee Nation.
More Stories Like This
The Military and CiviliansA Proud Milestone in Cherokee Innovation and Storytelling
Copper Mine or Future Homes? In the Battle for Arizona Water, the Mine Wins
Double Down on What Works: Invest in Native CDFIs, Don’t Eliminate Them
The Big Ugly Bill Attacks Tribes, Our Lands, and Our Rights
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