Landowners do not need to wait until the Buy-Back Program begins implementation to get more information. Please review the Program's frequently asked questions and become familiar with the Offer Packet Documents, available here.
Landowners can contact the Trust Beneficiary Call Center (888-678-6836) to learn more about their land and their options – including how the Buy-Back Program works. The Call Center is responsible for responding to inquiries from trust beneficiaries. The Call Center has access to various trust systems and operations staff in order to provide comprehensive account information to beneficiaries and complement local services.
In addition, landowners can contact or visit their local Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians (OST) to learn about financial planning. If you choose not to sell your land, it is important to consider how to best utilize the property during your lifetime and how to most efficiently pass it to your intended beneficiaries upon your death. There are certain federal rules and tribal codes that govern the estate planning options that may be available to you and some of these options cannot be rescinded or changed after a decision is made. Thus, it is critically important to get as much information as possible to make careful and informed decisions about your land interests and estate planning options. Click here to find the Office nearest you, or visit OST’s financial empowerment website at: https://www.doi.gov/ost/individual_beneficiaries/ financial_empowerment/index.cfm.
Landowners can also contact their nearest Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) office, or their local-specific tribal staff for further information about how the Program is being implemented at your location.
Tribes among the 105 scheduled locations will be contacted by a Buy-Back Program Senior Advisor - Tribal Relations (TRA) prior to the start of implementation activities. If you are a tribal leader whose community is among the 105 locations, but have not yet been contacted, please direct inquiries to:
Katy Grounds
Land Buy-Back Program for Tribal Nations
U.S. Department of the Interior
1849 C Street, N.W., MS-3543
Washington, D.C. 20240
Tribes not currently on the schedule of 105 locations may direct inquiries to: