Early Distributions for Minors Per Capita Trusts

We believe that these trusts can significantly benefit your children if the trusts are administered properly. These trusts should invest in your children – not just invest for your children. Investing for your children is simply investing funds for your children that they receive at a future date. These trusts should invest in your children by ensuring they receive proper health, education and welfare when they are young.  Further, federal law requires it. Trust funds will never be spent for better purposes.

For example, using trust funds on tutoring or braces for a child during their early teenage years will benefit them more than anything they will spend a large check on when they turn 18 years old.

Providence First’s TribalTrusts division has a unique and comprehensive system to ensure such early distributions are made available and used for the correct purposes that help your children.

Scope of Distributions:

We work closely with tribal leaders to specifically and objectively define what health, education and welfare should mean for each tribe. Health generally refers to health services not covered by IHS, including dental and orthodontics. Education can include private tuition, tutoring, computers, talent building and educational camps and lessons. Welfare can include clothing and can help with purchasing a home or vehicle. For legally incompetent individuals these trust funds should be available to supplement other sources for housing, medical needs and budgeted living expenses.

Determine Eligibility:

We develop a customized form for parents to request an early distribution for the health, education or welfare of the child. We review these forms to ensure trust funds are needed, used for worthy purposes and fit within the guidelines of the trust agreement.

Direction to Other Sources:

These trusts should be the last source of funds, and parents should exhaust other resources first, such as government and tribal social programs. We will direct and help educate tribal members about the other resources available and ensure the trust funds are only used after other sources are exhausted.

Monitor Payments:

Unlike most banks, we make payments to each parent by check or direct deposit, not just to the tribal government. Further, we work closely with tribal enrollment departments to constantly update our addresses and guardians for security controls, smoother operations, and happier tribal members. We also make payments directly to vendors or service providers (i.e. the orthodontist or school) to ensure trust funds are spent correctly.

Distribution Follow-up:

We do all we can to ensure that the trust funds are used correctly by parents. We make payments directly to vendors, service providers and also collect and monitor receipts. Generally, trust funds will be restricted until guardians can show that trust funds were spent properly.