Affirming sovereignty and strengthening
self-determination.

At Big Water Consulting

  
    We help tribes build a better relationship with data—empowering them to evaluate and decide which data accurately tells their story; gain control over how this data is collected, owned, managed, and shared; and shape and refine the methods by which the tribe and others use that data to serve current and future generations.
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About

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Featured Research and Resources

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CDFI Fund's New Markets Tax Credit Native Initiative

The CDFI Fund's New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) Native Initiative set out to increase NMTC investments in Federal Indian Reservations, Off-Reservation Trust Lands, Hawaiian Home Lands, and Alaska Native Village Statistical Areas, collectively referred to as NMTC Native Areas. The work performed under this initiative included a Market Research Report that summarizes peer reviewed and sponsored research on Tribes that have implemented community and economic development strategies that were successful in attracting private investment; and a Case Study Report that presents findings, best practices, and recommendations from past NMTC investments in NMTC Native Areas.

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We empower tribes to fully realize Tribal Data Sovereignty by helping them build their capacity to evaluate, collect, own and manage, analyze, and meaningfully use data as a foundation for informed decision-making and long-term strength. By creating a continuous feedback loop between data and planning, we help tribes and communities reduce costly surprises, challenge how data is defined and gathered, and ensure it becomes a powerful asset that reflects and advances their goals rather than a source of risk. Eliminating perceived risk by filling in data gaps also lowers the cost of capital supporting community development.

Data Sovereignty and Self-Determination in Action

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A Data-Driven Approach to Comprehensive Planning

Why?

To satisfy their responsibility to serve as good stewards of their community’s lands, facilities, infrastructure and a growing number of programs that need to coordinate their activities and community members who rely on the network of programs to meet their ever-changing suite of needs and opportunities, tribes and Native community leaders must implement a planning function to make sense of the chaos, prevent conflicting and duplicative efforts and leverage opportunities to enhance efficiency through coordination and collaboration, while both protecting and maximizing the value of financial, cultural, natural and other resources.

How?

This planning process brings leaders, programs, community members and partners together physically and operationally to build productive relationships and explain what they are doing; describe their successes, challenges and opportunities; and share and discuss future plans.

When this information is shared and opportunities to collaborate and coordinate begin to be identified, the programmatic siloes created by federal programs and funding restrictions over many decades begin to collapse and an integrated and adaptive network of mutually supportive programs and partners emerges to best serve the evolving needs and opportunities arising within the community.

The planning process at a glance:

Organize

Identify and invite stakeholders involved in development activities

Introduce

Introduce yourself and your role

Tell others what you do and what you have planned

Assess

Review information that informs the discussion and describes past, current and future conditions

Improve

Identify opportunities for improvement, coordination and collaboration

Prioritize & Assign

Define responsibilities for implementation and order of action

Document

Capture agreed-upon decisions to maintain alignment and buy-in

Monitor & Update

Establish mechanisms for periodic review and flexibility

Big Water is helping advance tribal planning efforts.

The core areas where we focus our work each play an important role in enabling tribes to develop their capacity to plan effectively and carry out the functions of Tribal Data Sovereingty.

Primary Data Collection and Integrated Planning

Housing and Community Economic Development

Health and Housing

Research and Program Evaluation

Research Reports

Program Evaluation

Ongoing Communication/
Advisory Capacity

Facilitating Vital Partnerships and Communities of Practice

(Our work with SDNHOC, etc.)

Indigenous Economic Development Community of Practice

A knowledge sharing platform for tribes and supporting experts to network, collaborate and learn from one another about how to plan for comprehensive community economic development.

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Toolkits

A Toolkit for Economic Development Planning in Native Communities

This toolkit provides practical guidance and tools for tribal leaders, partners, consultants, and other stakeholders responsible for designing local economic development plans that align with community needs and cultural values.

Implementing Economic Development Plans in Native Communities

This toolkit provides practical guidance and tools for tribal leaders, partners, consultants, contractors and other stakeholders responsible for implementing economic development plans in their tribal community.

Training Session Materials

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Case Studies

Best Practices and Lessons for Financing Tribal Projects: Capital Stacking

This brief introduces the concept of capital stacking and discusses the benefits and challenges associated with using this project financing model to fund tribal community economic development activities based on the lessons learned from three tribal projects funded from multiple sources.

Opportunities and Best Practices for Tribal Partnerships

This brief examines experiences among seven core coalition partners involved in the Tulsa Regional Advanced Mobility cluster and identifies the challenges and successes of the partnership, including applying for project funding, forming a partnership, and implementing a partnership project.

Developing Successful Grant Applications: Best Practices and Lessons from a Tribal Grantee

This brief examines one Tribe’s experiences applying for, and winning, grants from the EDA that support economic development. It provides an overview of the application and review process, discusses application-related challenges, and draws several lessons for Indigenous applicants and for EDA.

Initially funded by the Economic Development Administration, the next phase will be led by a Native-led Advisory Committee.

See the next phase