Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas

What Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas does

The Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas is a state-recognized sovereign Native American tribal government headquartered in McAllen, Texas, serving approximately 4,500 enrolled members determined by lineal descendancy. The tribe's core operations include cultural preservation (annual Spring, Fall, and Veterans Pow-wows), tribal governance through an elected Tribal Council, cemetery preservation via its wholly owned Lipan Apache Tribe Cemetery Association (LATCA, established 2022), veteran services, tribal identification card issuance ($30 original / $15 renewal), and educational scholarship programming. The tribe maintains a 501(c)(3) non-profit arm (Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas, Inc., established 2007) under IRS 509(a)(2) public charity status, which accepts donations via PayPal and Venmo. The organization is volunteer-staffed due to lack of funding and has no paid employees.

The tribe's underlying infrastructure is non-technical: a basic informational website (lipanapachetribe.gov) built on a templated platform, donation processing through consumer payment apps, and direct member services delivered through the McAllen tribal office. There is no proprietary technology, software product, or AI capability. The tribe participates in broader intertribal institutional infrastructure as a full voting member of the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) under court-of-claims state-recognized status and as a member of the Alliance of Colonial Era Tribes (ACET). It filed for federal acknowledgment with the BIA in 2012 (petition no. 333), which remains pending.

The business model is donation- and grant-funded: the only documented material inflow is a $650,000 Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Monuments Project grant awarded in October 2023 through Big Bend Conservation Alliance for cemetery protection and land reclamation. Ancillary revenue streams are negligible — tribal ID card fees ($30/$15) and small public donations. The organization has no commercial revenue model, no customers in the traditional sense, and no investor ownership structure. Geographic operations are concentrated in South Texas (Rio Grande Valley via McAllen) and West Texas (Presidio County cemetery site).

Name

Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas

Legal name

The Lipan Apache Tribe and The Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas, Inc.

Website

https://lipanapache.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas is a state-recognized sovereign Native American tribal government serving approximately 4,500 enrolled members in Texas through cultural preservation, pow-wows, cemetery stewardship, veteran services, and tribal governance, funded primarily by donations and grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Tribal Government and Indigenous Community Services

NAICS

American Indian and Alaska Native Tribal Governments (921150), American Indian and Alaska Native Tribal Governments (92115), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Indigenous, Ethnic & Folk Arts/Heritage Organizations (BPAGAHAI)

Keywords

• Tribal government services
• Cultural preservation
• Community non-profit
• Tribal member services
• Indigenous heritage

Headquarters

HQ city

McAllen

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: The tribe operates as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization (Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas, Inc.) and relies on donations from members and the public. Donations are accepted via PayPal and Venmo. Contributions support: perpetual care of the sacred burial ground/cemetery in Presidio TX, annual Pow-wow sponsorship, community programs, tribal office operations, permanent site for Tribal Museum and Cultural Center, land acquisition, and website hosting.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas is a state-recognized sovereign Native American tribal government and registered 501(c)(3) non-profit that delivers tribal identification, cultural and community events (including pow-wows), veteran support, cemetery preservation, scholarships, donation processing, community news, and tribal council services to its enrolled members and the wider community. Its core mission centers on the preservation of Lipan Apache heritage, religious freedom (including ceremonial peyote use), and the provision of member and community services.

Product overview

The Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas is a state-recognized sovereign Native American tribal government offering community services to approximately 4,500 enrolled members. The tribe operates primarily as a governmental organization providing cultural preservation programs (pow-wows, storytelling traditions, language restoration), veteran services, cemetery preservation through the Lipan Apache Tribe Cemetery Association, educational scholarships, and member identification services. The tribe's non-profit arm, Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas, Inc., is a 501(c)(3) organization that accepts donations via PayPal and Venmo to support these various community initiatives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 400 tribal members gained legal rights to possess and use eagle feathers for religious ceremonial practices through federal court settlement in 2016
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Big Bend Conservation Alliance (BBCA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 October 2023BBCA partnered with the tribe on the project to construct a protective wall at El Cementerio de los Lipanes in Presidio, TX. BBCA fundraised 75% of the estimated $120,000 cost while the tribe raised 25%. BBCA also coordinated with MASS Design Group for the protective structure design and continues to work with the tribe on land reclamation studies and interpretive signage at the site.
• MASS Design GroupcoreTechnology or Integration · 9 October 2023Award-winning non-profit architecture and design firm commissioned to create a protective structure for Cementerio del Barrio de los Lipanes. The design includes 12 walls, a path, and information signage. MASS architects (Joseph Kunkel and Mayrah Udvardi) presented designs via Zoom and worked with Lipan Apache stakeholders throughout the visioning process.
• Dr. Nakya Flotte (Lipan Apache Tribe)minorOthers · 9 October 2023Commissioned by the Mellon Foundation grant to lead a community co-created process for the site's interpretation and signage. Flotte is an anthropologist, artist, and community organizer of Lipan/Jumano ancestry with a Ph.D. in anthropology from Harvard.
• Dr. Maia Rodriguez (Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas)minorOthers · 9 October 2023Leads research for the land reclamation study under the Mellon Foundation grant. Holds a PhD in English with designated emphasis in Critical Theory from UC Berkeley and is an Assistant Professor in Native American Studies at UNM.
• Christina Hernandez (Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas)minorOthers · 9 October 2023Co-leads the project to finish construction and begin the land reclamation study with the BBCA team. Direct descendant of those interred at the cemetery, honored as Guardian of the Ancestors and Eagle Staff Bearer by Jumano Elders and Cuelcahende Band.
• National Congress of American Indians (NCAI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe tribe is a voting member tribe of NCAI as a state-recognized tribe under court-of-claims. NCAI is the oldest, largest, and most representative American Indian and Alaska Native organization serving the broad interests of tribal governments and communities.
• Alliance of Colonial Era Tribes (ACET)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe tribe is a member of ACET, an intertribal league of sovereign American Indian Nations continuing from the colonial era. ACET tribes share common history of colonial and federal governmental contact.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights10 records

Direct peers

• Alliance of Colonial Era Tribes (ACET): Intertribal league of sovereign American Indian Nations continuing from the colonial era, of which the Lipan Apache Tribe is a member. Directly comparable as a peer organization of state-recognized tribes with shared colonial-era history and inter-tribal advocacy goals.
• Comanche Nation: Federally recognized Southern Plains tribe headquartered in Oklahoma with overlapping historic presence in Texas and a cultural-preservation and pow-wow program. Comparable as a Native American tribal government with similar cultural, language, and community-preservation missions.
• Mescalero Apache Tribe: Federally recognized Apache tribe in New Mexico with deep cultural-preservation, pow-wow, and language-revitalization programs. Directly comparable as a peer Apache tribal government focused on heritage preservation and community events.
• Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas: Federally recognized Texas-based Native American tribe providing community, cultural, and governmental services to its members. Directly comparable as a peer Texas tribal government with similar community programs, pow-wows, and member services.
• Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas: Federally recognized Texas tribe operating community and cultural programs for its members in the Eagle Pass area. Comparable as a peer Texas-based tribal government with overlapping community-service and cultural-preservation missions.

Others

• MASS Design Group: Award-winning non-profit architecture firm commissioned to design the protective wall at El Cementerio de los Lipanes. Comparable as a peer organization doing Indigenous-led, culturally significant built-environment work, though primarily an architecture/design partner rather than a tribal government.
• National Congress of American Indians (NCAI): The oldest and largest American Indian and Alaska Native advocacy organization, of which the Lipan Apache Tribe is a voting member under court-of-claims state recognition. Comparable as a peer/umbrella organization serving Native sovereignty, cultural preservation, and inter-tribal advocacy functions.
• Association on American Indian Affairs (AAIA): National nonprofit advocating for the rights of American Indian tribes, referenced on the tribe's website. Comparable as a peer organization working on cultural preservation, sovereignty, and Indian Country advocacy.
• Big Bend Conservation Alliance (BBCA): Direct partner on the cemetery protection project, raising 75% of the $120K build cost and coordinating with the Mellon Foundation. Comparable as a peer non-profit partner engaged in Indigenous-led land conservation and cultural-heritage preservation in the Big Bend region.

Broad incumbents

• Poarch Band of Creek Indians: Federally recognized tribe operating large-scale tribal government services, cultural preservation programs, and economic development. Comparable as a larger, more established peer tribal government with mature institutional capacity for member services and heritage preservation.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UClip
• Facebookfacebook.com/1052961688208290
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lipan-apache-tribe-of-texas-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas