‘A pathway to business ownership’: DreamCatcher marks 10 years backing Indigenous women entrepreneurs

A decade-old business development program created for Indigenous women entrepreneurs in Arizona is marking a milestone year, with organisers pointing to a growing network of Native-owned businesses built through culture-centred training and peer support.

Project DreamCatcher, run through Arizona State University’s Thunderbird School of Global Management in partnership with the Freeport-McMoRan Foundation, has operated since 2015 as a free, intensive program designed for women from tribal communities. An ASU News feature republished by Native News Online said the program has graduated about 350 Indigenous women and supported the creation or growth of nearly 120 Native-owned businesses across sectors including food, healthcare, consulting, logistics, technology and cultural preservation.

For Denella Belin, a Navajo chef from Tuba City, the shift into entrepreneurship began with a question she did not expect. “I loved my job. I had a committed position” she said, recalling her work as a sous chef at a tribal-owned casino before leaving to start her own catering business.

Belin later credited the program with changing her sense of what was possible. “Project DreamCatcher gave me the foundation to believe I could become someone I hadn’t imagined before” she said.

Program leaders say the design matters as much as the content. “What makes this program different is that it was designed specifically for the Indigenous and tribal populations we serve” said academic director Mary Sully de Luque. She described it as community-driven, adding: “It’s really their program. I always say I’m a guest in their program.”

Participants undertake master’s-level coursework over a weeklong, in-person cohort, with costs such as lodging and meals covered to reduce barriers. The structure aims to build business skills while also strengthening networks between women who may otherwise feel isolated in their local markets.

Freeport-McMoRan’s Ondrea Barber said the program’s long-term investment has delivered tangible outcomes. “It provides a glimpse into what is possible and a pathway to business ownership where many community members may not have seen that as an option for themselves” she said.

Organisers also emphasise that many Indigenous women-led businesses are tied to community wellbeing, not just personal income. The report quotes program leaders describing ventures that grow from cultural practice and local need – a framing that links entrepreneurship with sovereignty and long-term self-determination.

As DreamCatcher enters its second decade, the test will be whether the program can continue to expand opportunities while maintaining its cultural grounding and whether graduates can access follow-on capital, procurement pathways and market reach to scale businesses on their own terms.