The Center for Indian Country Development at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis will host a March 3 webinar aimed at increasing tribal participation in the Survey of Native Nations, a national data initiative designed to strengthen tribal financial analysis and economic planning.
The virtual event, scheduled for 1–2 p.m. CT, will outline how tribes can engage in the survey and use resulting analyses to inform economic development strategy, fiscal management and policy decisions.
CICD officials say the survey is built on Indigenous research principles emphasizing tribal data sovereignty and reciprocity. The project uses the Federal Reserve System’s secure data infrastructure to steward and protect tribal financial information. Participating tribes receive tailored analyses intended to help leaders evaluate fiscal conditions, compare data with local governments and communicate their economic contributions in data-informed ways.
Speakers include Wayne Adkins, first assistant chief of the Chickahominy Indian Tribe; Crystal Williams, vice chair of the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana; and Casey Lozar, vice president and director of CICD at the Minneapolis Fed. Senior policy analysts Phil Gover and H. Trostle of CICD will also present.
The Survey of Native Nations was formally launched to all federally recognized tribes in October 2025 during CICD’s 10th anniversary data summit in Minneapolis. The effort followed more than two years of infrastructure development and pilot phases with tribes in Montana, the Pacific Northwest and along the East Coast. Pilot participants said the survey helps address longstanding gaps in publicly available data on tribal governments, particularly as geography-based datasets often fail to capture tribal economies accurately.
CICD staff will review the survey’s flexible design, data security procedures and examples of analyses participating tribes receive. Tribal governments interested in exploring participation can connect with project leadership or request a briefing for their leadership and finance teams.
The webinar is presented in collaboration with the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians, NAFOA, the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development, the National Congress of American Indians and the United South and Eastern Tribes.
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