Native American Development Center
The Native American Development Center's mission is to provide affordable lending services and financial education to Native Americans throughout North Dakota, on or off tribal lands.
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The purpose of this project was to learn more about the community's demand for a business incubator. The proposed facility and learning environment aimed to provide assistance to Native-owned and other minority-owned companies to achieve growth, create jobs, and make a positive impact in the community. Our role was to facilitate data collection, analysis, and reporting, and to provide recommendations for future development.
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Gain insights from Native community members, entrepreneurs, and allies engaged in local commerce.
Develop community-wide surveys.
Conduct focus groups to discuss the needs and strengths for starting and growing businesses in the area.
Interview key opinion leaders to address barriers facing local entrepreneurs.
Review case studies to determine best practices.
Analyze and extrapolate Bureau of Labor Statistics data for business development and retail-related projections.
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The study showed that the Native American Development Center is well equipped to help lead a business incubator for Native Americans and minorities in the Bismarck area. Findings included options for affordable retail space, co-working space, business advising and mentoring for entrepreneurs, and post-secondary education opportunities. The report continues to be used as a decision-making tool for facility types, structures, curricula, services, and partnerships, as well as for grant proposals to develop the facility.
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May–Sep 2022
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Michael Brydge — Project lead, community-based research, tool development, data analysis, key opinion leader interviews, and report writing
Mary Sienko — Data collection and analysis
Andrea Mader — Data collection and analysis
“I enjoy working with everyone on the Sweet Grass team. I love the experience Sweet Grass has working with tribal and urban Indian-based organizations.” —Lorraine Davis, Native American Development Center
