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GAO-25-107674 [i] (2024-12-03)

handle is hein.gao/gaordm0001 and id is 1 raw text is: The Big Picture The Office of Management and Budget annually reports the amount of federal funding by fiscal year that benefits or relates to American Indians and Alaska Natives (Al/AN). We have found that when Tribes compete with others for funding, they may receive asmalortion of the total amount. We and others have previously found that limited access to federal funds and services contribute to long- standing disparities between Al/AN individuals and other Americans. For decades, we have identified challenges Tribes face in navigating federal programs and accessing federal funding. Although agencies have made some areas by qssir1 ou recommendations, systemic barriers remain across a variety of federal efforts. Additionally, in 2023, Execut ve Order 14112 recognized the undue burden placed on Tribes when accessing federal funds. The Executive Order directed agencies to proactively and systematically identify and address these burdens, including their root causes, where possible. It also acknowledged that such actions would be consistent with the federal government's commitment to fulfilling its trust responsibility. This Snapshot summarizes our recent findings about barriers to access and ways some agencies have addressed them, often in response to our recommendations. What GAO's Work Shows We identified the following challenges Tribes may face when accessing federal agencies' programs and services: capacity limitations, financial constraints, limited agency communication, and remoteness of Tribes and federal agencies' limited awareness of tribal traditions and cultures. These obstacles in combination with c can create additional barriers for Tribes seeking federal assistance. Tribes may have limited staffing and administrative capacity which makes it challenging to identify, apply for, and monitor funding spread across multiple agencies and programs. Managing administrative burdens such as giation d Dcan strain Tribes' staffing capacity. For instance, Tribes may not have program staff or may require additional technjca assistance. We also found that > Tribes can experience challenges navigatng Lo raa m sgam; and > smaNer Tribes can have limited capacity such as fewer staff to fill out program applications, especially for compettve ants, which has limited their access to federal assistance. To address this barrier, some agencies have > provided financial assistance to help Tribes build capacity to the extent allowed by law; and minimized administrative burdens by 1 L adopting proce ures across agencies; and using self- t' -inatfion contracts se ovemance opa or other flexible program delivery mechanisms, whenever possible. Financial or economic development constraints can be significant obstacles to accessing certain federal programs, especially for smaller Tribes. Financial constraints may hinder access to federal programs. For example, tribal governments generally GAO-25-107674 Barriers to Tribal Access

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