Digging into Alaska Native Corporations and other businesses Jennifer LaFleur Reveal | Center for Investigative Reporting

12 Regional Corporations

Alaska native corporations (ANC) were formed when Congress passed the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971. The act allotted 40 million acres of land for division among 12 regional native corporations and 220 village corporations. Alaska natives and descendants born before 1971 were allowed to receive 100 shares in their village corporation and regional corporation. There were originally twelve Alaska regional corporations. In 1975, a 13th corporation formed to represent Alaska natives residing outside the state of Alaska, but it was dissolved in 2013. Today there are 198 village corporations.

In 1986, Congress passed legislation that allowed ANCs to participate in the Small Business Administration's disadvantaged business program, known as the 8(a) program, which sets aside federal contracts for minority-owned or other disadvantaged companies. With strong advocacy from Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens, Congress later extended to ANCs additional special 8(a) benefits, such as the ability to win no-bid contracts for any amount and to own multiple subsidiaries in the program.

ANC data and documents ANCs with at least 500 shareholders and $1 million in assets must file annual reports and and election proxy statements with the Alaska Division of Banking and Securities. All regional corporations meet that threshold, as do 28 village corporations. Some ANCs make these available on their websites or sometimes you can get copies from a shareholder.

ANC data and documents Court records: The Dept. of Banking and Securities regulates filings – all other complaints go through courts Alaska courts VA, MD PACER

Lexis-Nexis Leadership directories ANC data and documents Lexis-Nexis Leadership directories

Key data points Revenue versus dividends. Some ANC companies make billions in revenue, but little goes back to the shareholders. Executive pay versus dividends Location of annual meetings. Some ANCs hold their annual meetings in locations that are not accessible to villagers.

Contracts USAspending.gov – overview information on contracts, grant and loans (contracts themselves need to be requested from agency) Federal Procurement Data System -- https://www.fpds.gov -- federal contracts, but is sometimes more thorough/current

Other federal data on businesses OSHA – Worker safety SBA – Small business loans (also on usaspending) EPA SEC – public companies FEC – campaign donations and lobbying (opensecrets.org)

State and local data Corporations filings – Department of Commerce Licensing – Business license search Professional licenses Inspections

Federal courts and bankruptcies – PACER State court records

Resources IRE – tip sheets, story archive, data Reynolds Center for Business journalism - businessjournalism.org Documentcloud.org

jlafleur@cironline.org @j_la28 www.revealnews.org