Bois Forte Band of Chippewa
The Bois Forte Band of Chippewa is a federally recognized sovereign tribal nation in northern Minnesota that delivers enrollment, community wellness, and family services and operates a $20 million fiber-to-the-home broadband project and off-reservation cannabis dispensaries under state compact.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersNett Lake, United States
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Bois Forte Band of Chippewa does
The Bois Forte Band of Chippewa is a federally recognized Native American tribal nation headquartered in Nett Lake in northern Minnesota, providing enrollment, community wellness, and family services to its members and the surrounding population. The Band operates as a sovereign government entity under the Bureau of Indian Affairs and is not structured as a conventional corporation with external investors.
The Band's primary infrastructure initiative is a $20 million fiber optic broadband expansion project funded by a 2021 Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program grant and delivered in partnership with Minnesota Broadband Cooperative CTC. The project targets 2,097+ underserved Native American households, businesses, and community institutions in northern Minnesota with fiber-to-the-home service at speeds up to 10 Gbps. CTC acts as the channel partner providing ISP services and local operational support, while phased construction continues into early 2026.
In December 2024, the Band signed a cannabis compact agreement with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and the Office of Cannabis Management, enabling tribal enterprises to operate dispensaries off reservation lands. Proceeds are directed to tribal infrastructure projects and member services, adding a new regulated enterprise revenue stream alongside broadband service fees and traditional governmental programs.
Bois Forte Band of Chippewa firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Bois Forte Band of Chippewa
- Legal name
- Bois Forte Band of Chippewa
- Website
- https://boisforte.com
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- The Bois Forte Band of Chippewa is a federally recognized sovereign tribal nation in northern Minnesota that delivers enrollment, community wellness, and family services and operates a $20 million fiber-to-the-home broadband project and off-reservation cannabis dispensaries under state compact.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Bois Forte Band of Chippewa industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Tribal Government Services and Broadband Infrastructure
- NAICS
- American Indian and Alaska Native Tribal Governments (921150)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Rural & Universal Service Fixed Broadband Providers (HDAIABAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Adult-Use (Recreational) Cannabis Dispensaries (CRANAFAA), Tribal/Indigenous Public Health Authorities (HLAJAAAD)
Keywords
Where Bois Forte Band of Chippewa is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Nett Lake
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Bois Forte Band of Chippewa business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Infrastructure, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Broadband Service Fees: Revenue generated through ISP services provided by Minnesota Broadband Cooperative CTC to households, businesses, and community institutions in the service area
- Cannabis Dispensary Operations: Tribal enterprises operating dispensaries off reservation lands under cannabis compact agreements with the state, with proceeds funding infrastructure projects and member services
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Bois Forte Band of Chippewa product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Bois Forte Band of Chippewa provides tribal government services including enrollment, community wellness, and family services to its members. It also operates fiber optic broadband infrastructure (up to 10 Gbps) for underserved Native American households, businesses, and community institutions in northern Minnesota, and participates in cannabis dispensary operations under a state compact agreement.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Fiber-to-the-Home Broadband Service High-capacity fiber optic broadband service delivering up to 10 Gbps speeds to underserved Native American households, businesses, and community institutions across northern Minnesota, delivered in partnership with Minnesota Broadband Cooperative CTC.
- Tribal Enrollment Services Government enrollment services for tribal members of the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa, supporting membership administration and identity verification.
- Community Wellness Services Community wellness programs provided by the Band to its members, addressing health, welfare, and quality-of-life needs in northern Minnesota.
- Family Services Family support services delivered by the Band to tribal member households, addressing social services and family welfare needs.
- Tribal Cannabis Dispensary Operations Off-reservation cannabis dispensary operations run by tribal enterprises under a state compact agreement with Minnesota, with proceeds funding tribal infrastructure and member services.
Quantifiable outcome
- 2,097+ underserved Native American households, businesses, and community institutions to receive fiber broadband access
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Bois Forte Band of Chippewa
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Bois Forte Band of Chippewa technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Bois Forte Band of Chippewa partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Minnesota Office of Cannabis ManagementcoreThe Bois Forte Band of Chippewa signed a cannabis compact agreement with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and the Office of Cannabis Management, enabling tribal enterprises to participate in the state's regulated cannabis market. The agreement allows tribal enterprises to open dispensaries off reservation lands to fund infrastructure projects and member services.
- Minnesota Broadband Cooperative CTCcoreThe Bois Forte Band partnered with Minnesota Broadband Cooperative CTC to provide ISP services and local support for the $20 million fiber optic broadband expansion project. CTC will deliver broadband services to over 2,097 underserved Native American households, businesses, and community institutions across northern Minnesota. The project is funded through a 2021 Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program grant.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Bois Forte Band of Chippewa competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Paul Bunyan Communications: Minnesota rural cooperative operating fiber-to-the-home networks across north-central Minnesota, comparable in delivering residential gigabit service to underserved rural and small-town markets. Direct operational peer for broadband delivery model in similar geography.
- Prairie Island Indian Community: Minnesota tribal nation operating comparable governmental and enterprise functions including energy and small-scale infrastructure investment. Useful sovereign-economy peer for benchmarking diversified tribal enterprise portfolios.
- White Earth Nation: Large Minnesota Ojibwe tribal nation operating comparable governmental, social-services, and economic-development enterprises. Direct peer on sovereign operations and on the cannabis compact pathway under Minnesota's Office of Cannabis Management.
- Red Lake Nation: Sister federally recognized Ojibwe tribal nation in northern Minnesota that has also entered Minnesota's regulated cannabis market via government-to-government compact. Highly comparable as a geographic and operational peer executing the same combination of tribal governance, broadband initiatives, and cannabis enterprise activity.
- Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community: Minnesota tribal nation widely recognized as an economic-development benchmark among tribes, with diversified sovereign enterprises including gaming, hospitality, and government services. Useful peer for benchmarking sovereign-led enterprise strategy.
- Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa: Chippewa band operating near the Bois Forte service area in northern Minnesota, with comparable sovereign governance and enterprise operations. Closely related tribal nation serving adjacent geography and overlapping member populations.
- Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe: Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe operates tribal government, gaming, and member-services enterprises comparable in scale and scope. Direct peer for sovereign economic diversification and Minnesota cannabis compact participation.
- Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe: Federally recognized Ojibwe tribal nation in north-central Minnesota with overlapping reservation footprint and similar community-services, governmental, and economic-development functions to Bois Forte, providing a directly comparable sovereign entity benchmark.
- Minnesota Broadband Cooperative CTC (Consolidated Telephone Company): Operational channel partner and rural cooperative delivering fiber ISP services in the same northern Minnesota footprint, with comparable residential and business broadband offerings. Directly relevant as the channel partner executing Bois Forte's last-mile service delivery.
Broad incumbents
- Ziply Fiber: Regional fiber-to-the-home operator across the Pacific Northwest and parts of the Mountain West, providing a broader market benchmark for rural and tribal-area fiber broadband unit economics, take-rate, and capital deployment strategy.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Bois Forte Band of Chippewa social profiles
Digital presenceBois Forte Band of Chippewa financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Bois Forte Band of Chippewa leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Bois Forte Band of Chippewa funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Bois Forte Band of Chippewa M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Bois Forte Band of Chippewa
What does Bois Forte Band of Chippewa do?
The Bois Forte Band of Chippewa provides tribal government services including enrollment, community wellness, and family services to its members. It also operates fiber optic broadband infrastructure (up to 10 Gbps) for underserved Native American households, businesses, and community institutions in northern Minnesota, and participates in cannabis dispensary operations under a state compact agreement.
Is Bois Forte Band of Chippewa a public or private company?
Bois Forte Band of Chippewa is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was Bois Forte Band of Chippewa founded?
Bois Forte Band of Chippewa was founded in -1. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Bois Forte Band of Chippewa based?
Bois Forte Band of Chippewa is headquartered in Nett Lake, United States, in the North America region.
How does Bois Forte Band of Chippewa make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Broadband Service Fees are the primary driver. The others are cannabis Dispensary Operations.
Who are Bois Forte Band of Chippewa's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Paul Bunyan Communications, Prairie Island Indian Community, White Earth Nation, Red Lake Nation, Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe and Minnesota Broadband Cooperative CTC (Consolidated Telephone Company). Ziply Fiber is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Bois Forte Band of Chippewa have an API?
No public API is recorded for Bois Forte Band of Chippewa.
What industry is Bois Forte Band of Chippewa in?
Bois Forte Band of Chippewa's product category is Tribal Government Services and Broadband Infrastructure. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAIABAJ, Rural & Universal Service Fixed Broadband Providers, with a secondary code of CRANAFAA, Adult-Use (Recreational) Cannabis Dispensaries. Its NAICS code is 921150 and its SIC code is 8300.