While the Blackfoot Confederacy is a place of natural abundance with pristine watersheds delivering water to agriculturalists throughout the state, an abundance of minerals, oil, and gas, over 50,000 head of cattle, over 5,000 head of iinnii (bison), and profound cultural and spiritual wealth, the Piikani people experience high rates of unemployment and poverty due to chronic underinvestment in Native communities and ongoing resource theft.

As an organization with the ability to pursue federal, state, and private funding, PLHI seeks to advance economic development and reduce unemployment and poverty in the Blackfeet Nation indefinitely. To date, 50 jobs (temporary, internships, full-time, and part-time) have been created at PLHI in the past four years.  

PLHI is in the process of building a Regenerative Research and Training Center which will act as a dynamic community facility for economic, ecological, and health research and programming to advance defined goals of the regional Tribal food and agricultural industry.

Staff are also working on high priority initiatives that will build transformative assets and infrastructure within the community.