Lummi Indian Business Council

Lummi Indian Business Council, doing business as Lummi Tribe of Lummi Reservation, is a federally recognized tribal government in Bellingham, Washington that acts as a federal grant recipient across a broad portfolio of social services, environmental conservation, infrastructure, and community development programs. The tribe is American Indian owned and tribally owned, operating as the governing body for the Lummi Nation and competing without set-aside restrictions across civilian federal agencies.

The Lummi Indian Business Council receives the vast majority of its federal funding through grants (626 of 677 total awards, or 92%) rather than contracts, with a combined potential value of $732 thousand across all awards and $474.7 million in actual dollars obligated. Recent annual grant volume has ranged from 15 awards in 2026 (partial year) to 48 in 2023, reflecting steady activity across multiple federal programs. The tribe's footprint spans 76 distinct customer agencies, with the most active relationships concentrated in three areas: the Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families (140 awards across multiple program areas), the Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (42 awards), and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (20 awards generating $478 thousand in combined potential value). The top five customer agencies by award count account for 32% of all awards.

On the contract side, the Lummi Indian Business Council holds four small definitive contracts with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for tribally-mandated employment rights office support—awarded annually from fiscal 2023 through 2026, each valued at approximately $32,000 to $35,000. The tribe competes for these contracts without set-aside designation on a full-and-open basis.

The grant portfolio spans environmental, health, education, and social services domains. Representative recent awards include a $2.5 million cooperative agreement from the Department of Transportation Rural and Tribal Assistance Pilot Program (CFDA 20.943) through August 2029 to support legal, technical, and financial advisory services for the Slater Bridge Elevation and Bridge Project; a $863,977 project grant from the Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women for Special Tribal Criminal Jurisdiction implementation (CFDA 16.025) running through September 2029; a $2.762 million block grant from the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Child Care for the Child Care and Development Fund (CFDA 93.575) through September 2028; and a $1.154 million block grant from the Office of Child Support Enforcement for the Tribal Child Support Comprehensive Grant program (CFDA 93.563) for the period through September 2026. The tribe also received a $1.008 million project grant from the Federal Highway Administration Safe Streets and Roads for All program (CFDA 20.939) for traffic safety treatment planning through March 2027, a $981,120 cooperative agreement from NOAA for habitat restoration capacity-building in reservation tidelands through December 2027, and $921,403 from NOAA's Pacific Salmon Treaty Program (CFDA 11.438) for hatchery operations and Chinook salmon management through March 2029.

Environmental and natural resources work is a signature strength. The tribe receives recurring funding from NOAA for salmon recovery and hatchery operations, from the Environmental Protection Agency for water quality and wetland protection planning, and from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for pinniped and wildlife monitoring projects. Healthcare, child welfare, nutrition assistance (Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations), elder services under the Older Americans Act, community services, and low-income energy assistance round out the social services portfolio. Education grants support Indian Education Formula Grants to Local Educational Agencies, Head Start operations, and tribal historic preservation activities.

The tribe acts as a sub-recipient on grant awards from the Washington State Department of Health, the Health Care Authority, the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and the Superintendent of Public Instruction, performing work including behavioral health services delivery, salmon recovery coordination, habitat restoration project implementation, and child nutrition program administration.

Thirty awards are completing over the next twenty-four months and face recompete exposure. The small annual contract volume from EEOC is the main determinable contract revenue stream; the majority of the tribe's federal activity is grant-funded, with most grants carrying formula or non-competitive designations tied to tribal eligibility under federal Indian policy rather than competitive procurement.