An official website of the United States government
          Here's how you know
        Here's how you knowDot gov**Official websites use .gov**
              
              A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
        Https**Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
              
              A **lock** (   Locked padlock
 ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.  Newsroom
                                
                          
        
                Vote.gov Accessibility Menu
  

        
        Accessibility Menu
      Toggle Font Size
                                        
                                
          
                    Toggle OpenDyslexic
                                        
                                
          
                    Toggle Dyslexia-friendly black-on-creme color scheme
                                        
                                
          
                    Contact Us
 *U.S. Department of the Interior*
Menu


    close

        
        
                        
        
        
  
  
          About
      
                
        
        
  
  
          About
                    Interior
              
      
                
        
        
  
  
          Meet the Secretary
      
                        
                    
      
              Interior Leadership
      
                        
                    
      
              Departmental Offices
      
                        
                    
      
              History of the Interior
      
                        
                    
      
                      Join
              
      
                
        
        
  
  
          Careers
      
                        
                    
      
              Pathways Program
      
                        
                    
      
              Veterans Employment
      
                        
                    
      
              Volunteer
    
  

      
              
      
                        
                    
      
              Bureaus
      
                
        
        
  
  
          Bureaus
                    Bureaus
              
      
                
        
        
  
  
          Bureau of Indian Affairs
      
                        
                    
      
              Bureau of Indian Education
      
                        
                    
      
              Bureau of Land Management
      
                        
                    
      
              Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
      
                        
                    
      
              Bureau of Reclamation
      
                        
                    
      
              Bureau of Safety & Environmental Enforcement
      
                        
                    
      
              Bureau of Trust Funds Administration
      
                        
                    
      
              National Park Service
      
                        
                    
      
              Office of Surface Mining Reclamation & Enforcement
      
                        
                    
      
              U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
      
                        
                    
      
              U.S. Geological Survey
    
  

      
              
      
                        
                    
      
              Priorities
      
                
        
        
  
  
          Priorities
                    Addressing the Drought Crisis
      
                        
                    
      
                      Advancing Environmental Justice
      
                        
                    
      
                      America the Beautiful
      
                        
                    
      
                      Clean Energy Future
      
                        
                    
      
                      Increasing Outdoor Access
      
                        
                    
      
                      Investing in America
      
                        
                    
      
                      Strengthening Indian Country
      
                        
                    
      
                      Tackling the Climate Crisis
    
  

      
              
      
                        
                    
      
              Media
      
                
        
        
  
  
          Media
                    Blog
      
                        
                    
      
                      Press Releases
      
                        
                    
      
                      Media Contacts
      
                        
                    
      
                      Multimedia
    
  

      
              
      
    
          
    
  



Search

  Search


          
          
                      Newsroom
                                
                          
        
                Vote.govAccessibility Menu
  

        
        Accessibility Menu
      Toggle Font Size
                                        
                                
          
                    Toggle OpenDyslexic
                                        
                                
          
                    Toggle Dyslexia-friendly black-on-creme color scheme
                                        
                                
          
                    Contact Us
  


Breadcrumb
        Home
                            Bureau of Trust Funds Administration
                            About this Bureau
                            Trust Principles


  In This Section
    
      
      Home
                              About
                            About this Bureau
                              Budget Information
                              Equal Employment Opportunity
                              Meet the Director
                              Publications
                              Work with Us
                              Investment Policy
                              Office of Trust Records
                              Trust Principles
                              Beneficiary Services
                            IIM Welcome Guide
                              Intro to IIM Accounts
                              Payment Options
                              Understanding your IIM Statement
                              Oil & Gas Payment Schedule
                              Filing an Objection
                              Tribes Served
                              Managing Money
                              Managing Indian Trust Assets
                              Planning for the Future
                              Forms
                              FAQs
                              Search Unclaimed Accounts
                              News
                            News Archive
                              Contact Us
                  
                  Share
  FacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditPinterest

  Trust Principles

*The list below appears in**Department Manual Part 3 (Indian Trust Management) Chapter 2 (Principles for Managing Indian Trust Assets)**.*
The proper discharge of the Secretary's trust responsibilities requires that persons who manage Indian trust assets:
Protect and preserve Indian trust assets from loss, damage, unlawful alienation, waste, and depletion;
Assure that any management of Indian trust assets that the Secretary has an obligation to undertake promotes the interest of the beneficial owner and supports, to the extent it is consistent with the Secretary's trust responsibility, the beneficial owner's intended use of the assets;
Enforce the terms of all leases or other agreements that provide for the use of trust assets, and take appropriate steps to remedy trespass on trust or restricted lands;
Promote tribal control and self-determination over tribal trust lands and resources;
Select and oversee persons who manage Indian trust assets;
Confirm that tribes that manage Indian trust assets pursuant to contracts and compacts authorized by the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act, 25 U.S.C. 450, et seq., protect and prudently manage Indian trust assets;
Provide oversight and review of the performance of the Secretary's trust responsibility, including Indian trust asset and investment management programs, operational systems, and information systems;
Account for and timely identify, collect, deposit, invest, and distribute income due or held on behalf of beneficial owners;
Maintain a verifiable system of records that is capable, at a minimum, of identifying: (1) the location, the beneficial owners, any legal encumbrances (i.e., leases, permits, etc.), the user of the resource, the rents and monies paid, if any, and the value of trust or restricted lands and resources; (2) dates of collections, deposits, transfers, disbursements, third party obligations (i.e., court ordered child support, judgments, etc.), amount of earnings, investment instruments and closing of all trust fund accounts; (3) documents pertaining to actions taken to prevent or compensate for any diminishment of the Indian trust assets; and (4) documents that evidence the Department's actions regarding the management and disposition of Indian trust assets;
Establish and maintain a system of records that permits beneficial owners to obtain information regarding their Indian trust assets in a timely manner and protect the privacy of such information in accordance with applicable statutes;
Invest tribal and individual Indian trust funds to make the trust account reasonably productive for the beneficial owner consistent with market conditions existing at the time the investment is made;
Communicate with beneficial owners regarding the management and administration of Indian trust assets; and
Protect treaty-based fishing, hunting, gathering, and similar rights of access and resource use on traditional tribal lands.
Was this page helpful?
    
      Yes
No
This page was not helpful because the content:
          

        
  
      Please provide a comment


  
Leave this field blankReturn to top
    
          Subscribe
    
      Enter your email address to subscribe to Interior news and updates


  Leave this field blank
Section Title
  

        
      About DOI
                              Accessibility
                              Contact Us
                              Copyright
                              Disclaimer
                              Information Quality
                              Privacy Policy
                              Site Map
                              Vulnerability Disclosure PolicySection Title
  

        
      Budget & Performance
                              Coronavirus Updates
                              Cummings Act Notices
                              Diversity, Inclusion & Civil Rights
                              FOIA
                              Inspector General
                              No Fear Act reports
                              Open Government Initiative
    
          U.S. Department of the Interior
                    Stewarding Conservation and Powering Our Future

                          1849 C Street NW, Washington, DC 20240