Buy-Back Offers

Participation in the Buy-Back Program is voluntary. Individuals who choose to sell their fractional land interests receive payments directly into their Individual Indian Money (IIM) accounts. In addition to receiving fair market value for their land based on objective appraisals, sellers also receive a base payment of $75 per offer. Consolidated interests are then immediately restored to Tribal trust ownership for uses benefiting the reservation community and Tribal members.

More information about informed decisionmaking, accepting an offer, and Program eligibility can be found on the following pages.

• Informed Decisionmaking – discusses key information for landowners to consider when evaluating their purchase offer, considering financial implications, and reviewing their options beyond the Buy-Back Program.
• Accept an Offer – provides key information for those interested in selling their land.
• Program Eligibility – provides information about landowner, tract, and interest requirements that must be met to be eligible to participate in the Program.

The Program encourages landowners interested in participating to identify themselves as willing sellers by calling the Trust Beneficiary Call Center (Call Center) at 1-888-678-6836. A landowner interested in registering as a willing seller may do so even after Program implementation has moved to other locations. Willing seller registration provides the following benefits:

• Allows for the confirmation of landowner contact information;
• Provides an opportunity for advance outreach;
• Provides Tribes with information on its landowners in order to target outreach activities/messages;
• Improves estimates of response rates and sales for planning purposes; and
• Identifies the landowner’s desire to receive an offer (willing seller self-identification in no way commits a landowner to sell his/her land, nor does it guarantee an offer will be extended).

Additionally, the Program will continue to re-evaluate its resources and progress to determine if additional locations can be added to the schedule and may consider willing seller data.

Landowners can ask questions about their offers and/or update their contact information by calling the Call Center at 1-888-678-6836, or by visiting their local Bureau of Trust Funds Administration (BTFA) office or Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) office.