The Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation has been awarded an entrepreneurial grant from T-Mobile, the Hometown Initiative Grant.
The $39,266 grant was awarded to the tribe at the start of the month to support tribal entrepreneurs and businesses. The tribe was one of 25 grant recipients and the only tribal nation to receive funding. Other grantees included municipalities and nonprofit groups across the country.
The tribe will use part of the funding to establish a business tech center for Mashantucket Pequot tribal members. It will be a centralized location for members who want to start a new business or for existing businesses to utilize the available resources.
Tribe councilor Michele Scott said the tribe saw that its members were growing and starting new businesses at really quick rates. She said the tribe had different programs and resources available for its members. They hosted training workshops and opportunities for vendor markets at various Mashantucket Pequot-owned facilities. However tribal members needed a dedicated space where they could meet.
“We had different resources and programs in silos,” Scott said. “So there were all of these piecemeal opportunities and resources. We really started to see that a lot of the younger generation is really excited about being entrepreneurs and they needed a space to come together, and have all of the resources in one place.”
Scott said the tribe wants to support existing businesses and help facilitate the start of new ones. There are currently 37 businesses from tribal members, and Scott said the tribe wants to have that number grow to 50 by 2030. The business tech center is expected to open by spring of next year.
“It’ll be a space to have [in-person] training and remote opportunities as well. Computer access and business planning software would be available to tribal entrepreneurs who want to start a business,” Scott said.
Scott added that the grant funding will be rolled out in the next 12 months and is slated to end in March 2025. In addition to the business center, it will aid the tribe in establishing a Tribal Chamber of Commerce and encourage them to join their local chambers.
The tribe will host a tribal entrepreneur symposium on Aug. 27 in partnership with WONDR Nation, the tribe’s online gaming entertainment company. It will be an all-day event where state and national contracting partners will provide panels, resources, and guidance for Indigenous entrepreneurs.
