Bureau of Trust Funds Administration

The Bureau of Trust Funds Administration (BTFA) is one of three bureaus within the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs. In 2020, it assumed fiduciary functions previously managed by the Department of the Interior, Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians, and was reorganized within Indian Affairs under Secretary Order 3384 to align its mission, goals, and structure with those of other Indian Affairs bureaus. Today, the BTFA employs about 300 staff across 40 field offices nationwide, many co-located with Bureau of Indian Affairs offices. A director oversees policy, program operations, and funding for beneficiary services and for maintaining the American Indian Records Repository.

The Federal government’s duty to protect tribal treaty rights and manage trust lands began in the late 1800s, when many Tribes signed treaties with the United States. Through these agreements, Tribes ceded land in exchange for protection, health care, education, homelands, and recognition of their sovereignty. Although land was ceded, Tribes kept important rights to use it—such as grazing, drilling, hunting, mining, and timber harvesting.

Today, the BTFA manages an investment portfolio of more than $9 billion. Each year, BTFA distributes over $1.9 billion to American Indian and Alaska Native beneficiaries. BTFA also protects millions of historical records that document the Federal government’s ongoing treaty obligations.

Several laws form the Federal framework for managing Indian trust assets. These laws guide how Tribal and individual trust funds and lands are protected and managed. The framework began in 1880, when 25 U.S.C. § 161 required Indian trust funds to be deposited in the U.S. Treasury. In 1938, Congress expanded these rules through 25 U.S.C. § 162a, which established how Tribal trust funds must be deposited, invested, and managed.

Trust reform continued over time. The American Indian Trust Fund Management Reform Act of 1994 created the Office of the Special Trustee and set government wide standards for overseeing trust operations. The Native American Technical Corrections Act of 2003 updated and clarified parts of Indian law, while the American Indian Probate Reform Act of 2004 created a standard probate process for trust lands to help reduce fractionation.

In 2010, the Claims Resolution Act implemented the Cobell Settlement, addressing decades of trust fund mismanagement and supporting land consolidation. Most recently, the Indian Trust Asset Reform Act of 2016 modernized trust management and directed the transition of trust functions, which ultimately led to the creation of the BTFA.

BTFA's work centers on transparent, accountable, and efficient financial stewardship that supports the long-term wellbeing and sovereignty of Tribes and individual trust beneficiaries.

Visit BTFA’s Website