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Organization

Land Buy-Back Program for Tribal Nations (U.S. Department of the Interior)

The Interior Department's Land Buy-Back Program, funded by the Cobell settlement, bought fractional land interests for tribes and ended in 2022.

Kind
Federal program (2012-2022 appropriations; concluded)
Native-led
federal-program
Works with
50+ Tribes; 15 states
Region
National
Focus
Purchased fractionated interests from willing individual owners and restored them to tribal trust: nearly 3 million acres; about $1.69B paid to landowners
Registry
Government program
Vetting notes
DOI release of Dec 4, 2023 says appropriated funding ended Nov 2022. Not a donation channel.

What happened

The Land Buy-Back Program for Tribal Nations was a federal program run by the U.S. Department of the Interior. It came out of the Cobell v. Salazar settlement, which provided a $1.9 billion Trust Land Consolidation Fund to be spent within ten years. The Secretary of the Interior established the program in 2012, and it began purchasing in December 2013.

The problem it targeted is called fractionation. Interior explains that the General Allotment Act of 1887 divided reservation land among individual tribal members. When an owner died, ownership passed to many heirs, so a single tract can have hundreds of owners. Interior gives the example of a tract on the Lac Courte Oreilles Reservation with more than 1,200 owners.

Under the program, owners willing to sell could sell their fractional interests for fair market value. The purchased interests were placed into trust for the tribes. Interior says this increased tribal trust land bases for conservation, stewardship, economic development or other uses the tribes consider beneficial.

Interior reports that the program consolidated more than 800,000 interests, equal to 2.3 million acres, across 50 locations in 15 states. The ten-year implementation period ended November 24, 2022. This is a closed federal program, not a charity.

Good to know. A closed federal program, not a place to donate. The 2.3 million acres were existing reservation land interests moved into tribal trust ownership, not new land added to reservations.

Summarized with AI assistance from 4 sources and checked against their words; not yet reviewed by historians or by the nations. Report an error

What the sources say, and how this was checked

Well supported by the sources below.

  1. provided a $1.9 billion Trust Land Consolidation Fund (Fund) to be expended within a 10-year periodDepartment of the Interior - The Program
  2. consolidated more than 800,000 interests, equivalent to 2.3 million acres, across 50 locations in 15 statesDepartment of the Interior - The Program
  3. The 10-year period for the Program's implementation of land consolidation efforts came to an end November 24, 2022.Department of the Interior - The Program
  4. As a result of the General Allotment Act of 1887, reservation land was divided up and allotted to individual Tribal members.Department of the Interior - Fractionation

Research notes. Figures are Interior's own and described as consolidating "interests", not as acres newly added to reservations; the buyback placed existing fractional interests into trust for tribes. A federal program, not a donation channel; appropriated funding ended in 2022 per the record.

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Works with 1

Supports the return of 1

Sources

  1. doi.gov/buybackprogram/aboutself-description
Kind
Organization
Confidence
High

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