Tribal Membership

TRIBAL NATION MEMBERSHIP

NCAI Membership is made up of Tribes and Individuals who have met the eligibility criteria and the payment of dues as outlined in Article III of the NCAI By-Laws. Annual membership dues shall be due and payable at the Annual Convention of each year.

All members are determined to be in good standing upon full payment of tribal dues. To become a Member Tribe in good standing, please follow these steps.

• To join or renew online and pay by credit card, please use our Tribal Membership Portal.
• To join or renew via mail or email, please complete the Tribal Nation Membership Form and email it to membership@ncai.org or mail it along with a check made payable to the National Congress of American Indians to 1516 P St. NW, Washington DC, 20005. To pay via ACH/wire transfer, please follow the NCAI Wire Transfer Instructions.

NCAI Tribal Membership dues are determined by a tribe's income and may change from year to year. More details can be found here. If you have questions about membership dues, or are unable to pay the recommended membership fee, please contact membership@ncai.org.

In order to vote, please email to membership@ncai.org an updated Tribal Delegate Resolution on your Tribal letterhead to designate who will vote for your Tribal Nation at NCAI conferences.

An explanation of the details of Tribal Nation Membership and an example Tribal Delegate Resolution can be found here.

Details about Tribal Nation Membership

Articles from the National Congress of American Indians Constitution and By-Laws applicable to the Membership Process:

Section B: Tribal Nation Membership

Any Tribe, band or identifiable group of American Indians or Alaska Natives shall be eligible for tribal membership provided it shall fulfill all the following requirements:

1. A substantial number of its members reside upon the same reservation or, in the absence of a reservation in the same general locality;

2. It maintains a tribal organization, with regular officers and the means of transacting business and arriving at a reasonably accurate count of its membership;

3. It is not a mere offshoot or fraction of an organized Tribe, itself eligible for  membership; and

4. It is recognized as a Tribe or other identifiable group of American Indians or Alaska Natives by the Department of the Interior, Court of Claims, the Interior, Court of Claims, the Indian Claims Commission, or a State.

Article III: MEMBERS

Section C: Dues - In accordance with the following table:

If revenue exceeds $60 million  please consider increasing your dues as a contribution to NCAI.

Section B 1d: Votes

Each individual member is entitled to one vote. Each member tribe is entitled to 100-180 votes, depending upon the enrollment of the Tribe. Each member Tribe shall vote in accordance with the following table: