Alaska Native Village Corporation Association and ANCSA Regional Association

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Posted: May 12, 2020

The Alaska Native Village Corporation Association (ANVCA) and the ANCSA Regional Association (ARA) issued the following statement on May 12, 2020, in connection with legislation that prevents Alaska Native corporations from receiving shares of the $8 billion coronavirus relief fund that was authorized by Congress through a law known as the CARES Act:

“While it is important to remember that this is just the start of the federal legislative process, the ANCSA Regional Association is disappointed in the shortsighted section of the HEROES Act that would disallow funding for Alaska Native corporations (ANCs) in the CARES Act. This will strip critical COVID-19 response and relief funding from Alaska Native communities.

We look forward to an improved bill that will help all Alaska Native people. By federal law ANCs are required to provide for the economic, cultural and social wellbeing of our 140,000 shareholders. Just in the past few months, ANCs have invested more than $2 million for COVID-19 relief in our communities.

It is imperative to recognize that in Alaska our tribes do not own land, ANCs do, and our tribes have far fewer members than our ANCs. Disallowing ANCs from receiving CARES Act aid will exclude thousands of ANC shareholders who are not enrolled in tribes from this crucial support.

We implore our lower 48 tribal partners: it is time to stop efforts that divide us. We must work together to fight this global pandemic.”

For background on ANCs and the CARES Act, please go to https://ancsaregional.com/cares-act/.

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