Blackfeet Nation

What Blackfeet Nation does

The Blackfeet Nation is a federally recognized sovereign tribal government established by treaty in 1855, headquartered in Browning, Montana, and one of the 10 largest tribes in the United States with 17,321 enrolled members across a 1.5 million-acre reservation in northwest Montana. The Nation's central strategic asset is its treaty-reserved Winters water rights, quantified at nearly 800,000 acre-feet annually across six basins through the 2016 Blackfeet Water Compact and Settlement Act, supported by approximately $471 million in federal funding for water infrastructure including irrigation, community water systems, fisheries, recreational lakes, and energy projects. Core operations span direct government services to tribal members (water resources, courts, health, housing, education, fish and wildlife) and a portfolio of wholly-owned economic enterprises including Glacier Peaks Hotel & Casino, Glacier Family Foods grocery, Oki Communications (telecom/internet), Star Link Cable (television), and the Blackfeet Heritage Center and Art Gallery.

The Nation's technology infrastructure is concentrated on water systems engineering rather than software or AI: a Hydraulic Model and Water Master Plan are being developed in partnership with HDR Engineering to simulate the reservation's Municipal, Rural and Industrial (MR&I) water systems, pumps, storage, and pipes under various demand scenarios. Governance is exercised through the nine-member Blackfeet Tribal Business Council serving four-year terms, supported by an extensive directory of tribal departments. Revenue mechanics are a hybrid of federal and state government grants and settlement funding (Water Rights Settlement Act, DOJ, DOI, Bureau of Reclamation, FEMA) plus enterprise operating income from hospitality, retail, telecom, cable, and cultural tourism subsidiaries. Distribution is exclusively direct-to-member through reservation-located government offices in Browning.

Name

Blackfeet Nation

Legal name

Blackfeet Nation

Website

https://blackfeetnation.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1855

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Blackfeet Nation is a federally recognized sovereign tribal government in northwest Montana, serving 17,321 members across a 1.5 million-acre reservation through government services, water infrastructure, and wholly-owned enterprises including a casino, telecom, grocery, and cable.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Tribal Government Services

NAICS

American Indian and Alaska Native Tribal Governments (921150), Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (9241), Administration of Conservation Programs (92412)

akta.pro primary industry

Wildlife, Biodiversity & Habitat Conservation Administration (BPAIAMAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Minority, Indigenous & Disability Rights (BPADAGAH), Tribal Land-Grant Institutions (1994 Land-Grant TCUs) (EDAHANAC)

Keywords

• Tribal government services
• Water rights administration
• Hospitality gaming
• Grocery retail
• Telecommunications services

Headquarters

HQ city

Browning

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Federal Water Settlement Funding: The Blackfeet Water Rights Settlement Act provides $471 million in federal funding for water related projects including irrigation and community water systems, funds for the Blackfeet Irrigation Project, energy projects, land and water acquisition, recreational lake development, fishery enhancement and protection, environmental improvements.
2. Tribal Enterprises: Operating economic enterprises including Glacier Peaks Hotel & Casino, Blackfeet Heritage Center and Art Gallery, Glacier Family Foods grocery store, Oki Communications telecommunications and internet services, and Star Link Cable television.
3. State of Montana Funding: State funding for water projects including $14.5 million compensation under the Birch Creek Agreement and $20 million contribution for pipeline project.

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Blackfeet Nation is a federally recognized sovereign tribal government that administers governance, treaty-reserved water rights, and economic enterprises for its 17,321 members on the 1.5-million-acre Blackfeet Indian Reservation in northwest Montana. It secures and deploys water resources under the 2016 Blackfeet Water Compact and Settlement Act (nearly 800,000 acre-feet and $471 million in federal funding) and operates wholly-owned subsidiaries in hospitality, retail grocery, telecommunications, cable television, and cultural heritage.

Product overview

Blackfeet Nation operates as a tribal government with several economic enterprises serving the reservation community. These include hospitality services (Glacier Peaks Hotel & Casino), retail grocery (Glacier Family Foods), telecommunications and internet (Oki Communications), cable television (Star Link Cable), and cultural tourism (Blackfeet Heritage Center and Art Gallery). The organization also manages significant water rights and infrastructure through the Blackfeet Water Compact, focusing on water systems, irrigation, and community water supply improvements.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Glacier Peaks Hotel & Casino Wholly-owned tribal enterprise offering hotel accommodations and casino gaming services to visitors of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation.
• Blackfeet Heritage Center and Art Gallery Tribally operated cultural center and art gallery providing visitors an experience to expand their understanding of the Blackfeet people through art and heritage displays.
• Glacier Family Foods Wholly-owned grocery store located in Browning providing fresh food products to the local reservation community.
• Oki Communications Wholly-owned tribal enterprise providing telecommunications and internet services to residents, institutions, and businesses on or near the Blackfeet Indian Reservation.
• Star Link Cable Wholly-owned tribal enterprise offering cable television services to residents and businesses in Browning.
• Blackfeet Water Department Services Administration of tribal water rights, irrigation infrastructure, and community water systems under the 2016 Blackfeet Water Compact, delivering secured water supply to reservation residents, farms, and enterprises.
• Tribal Government Services Direct government services delivered to tribal members through departments including Tribal Courts, Health Department, Housing Authority, Fish and Wildlife, Employment Office, Community College, Environmental Office, Land Department, and Law Enforcement.
• Blackfeet Tribal Credit Loan Tribal lending service providing credit and loans to Blackfeet Nation members and the reservation community.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 800,000 acre-feet of water secured annually from six water basins
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• HDR EngineeringcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 May 2024The Blackfeet Nation and Blackfeet Water Department partnered with HDR, a highly qualified international engineering firm with over 200 engineers and technicians in Montana, to study existing water systems and deliver crucial improvements. HDR is helping create a Hydraulic Model and Water Master Plan for the reservation's water infrastructure.
• Bureau of ReclamationcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 18 March 2024The Bureau of Reclamation and Blackfeet Tribe approved a $2.2 million contract for construction on a Municipal, Rural and Industrial System (MR&I), focusing on the Heart Butte Water Tank to bolster water access and distribution in tribal lands.
• Solenex LLCminorOthers · 1 September 2023Solenex LLC was the leaseholder of the last remaining oil and gas lease in the Badger-Two Medicine area. An agreement was reached for Solenex to retire this lease, ending decades of dispute over drilling on sacred Blackfeet lands.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Cherokee Nation: A large federally recognized tribal nation with significant enterprise operations, federal trust relationships, and water/land resources. Comparable to the Blackfeet Nation as a sovereign government with diversified economic activities and federal funding streams.
• Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma: A large federally recognized tribe operating diversified businesses across hospitality, gaming, manufacturing, and services. Comparable to the Blackfeet Nation as a sovereign tribal government with an enterprise portfolio and federal funding relationships.
• Oglala Sioux Tribe: A large federally recognized tribe on the Pine Ridge Reservation managing water resources, federal trust funding, and tribal enterprises. Comparable to the Blackfeet Nation as a sovereign tribal government with significant land holdings and federal funding relationships.
• Navajo Nation: The largest federally recognized tribe in the U.S., operating a sovereign tribal government with extensive water rights, land holdings, and a diversified portfolio of enterprises. Directly comparable to the Blackfeet Nation in governance structure, treaty rights, and enterprise diversification.
• Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation (Three Affiliated Tribes): A large tribal nation in the Fort Berthold Reservation of North Dakota with extensive water rights from the Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin dams. Comparable to the Blackfeet Nation as a sovereign tribal government with major water resource allocations and federal settlement funding.

Regional players

• Fort Belknap Indian Community: A Montana-based tribal nation that has completed its own water compact with the state. Comparable to the Blackfeet Nation as a regional peer in water rights settlement negotiations and reservation-based enterprise operations.
• Crow Nation: A neighboring Montana-based federally recognized tribe with a reservation in south-central Montana. Comparable to the Blackfeet Nation as a Montana tribal government navigating water rights compacts, federal funding, and reservation-based economic development.
• Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of Fort Peck: A Montana-based tribal nation with a large reservation in northeast Montana. Comparable to the Blackfeet Nation as a regional peer operating within Montana's tribal-federal-state water rights framework.
• Chippewa Cree Tribe of the Rocky Boy's Reservation: A Montana-based federally recognized tribe operating its own government and enterprises on a smaller reservation. Comparable to the Blackfeet Nation as a regional peer managing federal funding and tribal enterprise operations in Montana.
• Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Nation: A Montana-based tribal government that completed its own water compact and operates multiple enterprises. Comparable to the Blackfeet Nation as a regional peer in the same state navigating water rights settlement, federal funding, and tribal enterprise operations.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Blackfeet-NationBlackfeet-Tribal-Business-Council-846254432132916
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/blackfeet-nation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Blackfeet Nation