At the 18th annual TERO Certified Indian Owned Business Awards Banquet in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. and Deputy Chief Bryan Warner announced a new initiative to increase small business investment in economically disadvantaged areas. The plan targets the tribe’s 7,000 square mile reservation and nearby counties. Chief Hoskin first mentioned the plan during his State of the Nation address in Tahlequah on August 30, 2025. The initiative will create ‘Cherokee Opportunity Zones’ to address poverty and limited access to capital in some communities.
Chief Hoskin said the Opportunity Zones will be selected using U.S. Census Bureau tracts. Criteria include poverty rates, the number of Cherokee citizens, the presence of fluent Cherokee speakers, and existing tribal infrastructure. The initiative will use current tribal and federal loan programs, such as the Economic Development Trust Authority and the new SSBCI fund, which matches loan funds. Up to $2 million in new micro loan funds will go to these zones. Every county in the reservation and adjacent counties will be included.
The plan is scheduled to begin in 2026. It will also direct more on-the-job training funds to small businesses in the Opportunity Zones. Deputy Chief Warner said the initiative aims to support all Cherokee communities and shows the tribe’s commitment to areas with high poverty rates…