Ribbon cutting and grand opening of Than Povi Fine Art Gallery in Cuyamungue. Courtesy/LANL

LANL News:

• Native American Venture Acceleration Fund provides boost to six regional businesses

Six Native American businesses received grants through a new Native American Venture Acceleration Fund created by Los Alamos National Security, LLC (LANS) and the Regional Development Corporation.

The grants are designed to help the recipients create jobs, increase their revenue base and help diversify the area economy.

Funding comes from LANS, which manages Los Alamos National Laboratory, and the New Mexico Indian Affairs Department. The Native American Venture Acceleration Fund is managed by the Regional Development Corporation (http://www.rdcnm.org/.)

Grant recipients are:

• San Ildefonso Development Corporation: $20,500, for upgrades to existing account software and training.

• Three Eagles Development Corporation, Picuris Pueblo, $10,800, update computer and accounting systems, software and hardware.

• Cochiti Pueblo Development Corporation, $20,000, restructuring of the corporation to include establishing an environmental services firm.

• Avanyu Construction Services, LLC, San Ildefonso and Ohkay Owingeh pueblos, $25,000, new accounting software to fulfill federal contracting requirements and begin 8A (small disadvantaged -more- -2- business) certification process.

• Sunbeam Indian Art, San Ildefonso Pueblo, $3,400, develop website capabilities to increase online sales.

• Than Povi, San Ildefonso Pueblo, $4,400, for website development, online sales capability and point-of-sales software for its new retail outlet in Cuyamungue.

To be eligible for a Native American Venture Acceleration Fund grant, applicants

• must demonstrate they are a Native American-owned business in which a tribe or tribal member has at least a 51 percent stake in the enterprise

• be a tribal business or corporation from the pueblos of Nambe, Ohkay Owingeh, Picuris, Santa Clara, Pojoaque, Taos, San Ildefonso, Tesuque, Cochiti or Jemez or be located in Sandoval, Santa Fe, Los Alamos, San Miguel, Mora, Rio Arriba or Taos counties.

“The purpose of the newly created fund is to develop tribally held businesses in Northern New Mexico,” said Kurt Steinhaus, director of the Laboratory’s Community Programs Office. “LANS and Los Alamos National Laboratory are excited to announce the first of these Native American Venture Acceleration Grant Fund recipients and we look forward to working with these and other Native American businesses to promote economic development in Northern New Mexico.”

Twelve, high-quality proposals were submitted for funding last fall; all will receive funding or technical assistance, added Earl Salazar, LANL’s tribal relations liaison.

More information about the Native American Venture Acceleration Fund is available through Kathy Keith (Kathy@rdcnm.org), executive director of the Regional Development Corporation, or Vangie Trujillo (vangie@lanl.gov) of the Community Programs Office.