Sovereignty Shield Guide

Overview

The Sovereignty Shield is a verification status indicator on each grant's detail page. It shows whether your project location has been verified within tribal boundaries — proving your tribe's legal authority to manage funds and protecting your records for audits.

Available on the Sovereign tier and above.

Why It Matters

Without verified boundary records, an auditor can question your authority over grant funds years after the award. The shield creates a documented chain of proof — Federal Register citation, geographic coordinates, and land-status verification — that you can produce on demand.

Shield Status Colors

On the grant detail page, the shield badge shows one of four states:

Green (Sovereign Match) — Your project location falls within your tribal boundaries AND on federal trust land. Fully verified.

Amber (Mixed Land Status) — Partial match. Either your location is within tribal boundaries but on fee land, or it's on trust land but outside your mapped boundaries. Review the protection statement for details.

Blue (Treaty Territory) — The location falls within recognized treaty territory or ceded/ancestral lands.

Gray (Needs Verification) — No location has been pinned yet, or boundary data hasn't been checked.

Setting Up Your Shield

Step 1: Tribal Attestation

Before you can use sovereignty features, you must attest that you are an authorized representative of your tribe:

1. Go to your workspace profile settings

2. Select your tribe from the Verified 574 Registry (the federal list of recognized tribes)

3. Check the attestation box confirming you are an authorized agent

4. Click Activate Shield

This links your workspace to your tribe's Federal Register citation and BIA standing.

Step 2: Pin Your Project Location

For each grant you're pursuing:

1. Open the grant's detail page

2. Find the Project Location card in the right sidebar

3. Click "Mark Location" to open the interactive map

4. Click on the map or search for an address to place your pin

5. Confirm the location

Step 3: Automatic Boundary Check

Once you pin a location, the system automatically verifies it against federal geographic and land-status databases. The result determines your shield color (green, amber, blue, or gray) and generates a protection statement explaining the finding.

What Gets Created

When boundary verification completes, the system creates a verified record that includes your boundary status, a protection statement explaining the geographic and legal finding, and a timestamp. These records feed into your Sovereign Vault's audit readiness tracking.

Boundary Certificate

The Boundary Certificate is a PDF document you can generate from the vault when your grant reaches audit-ready status. It includes your tribal entity name, Federal Register citation, grant details, verified boundary status, and the protection statement — everything an auditor needs to confirm your tribe's authority over the funded project.

Tips

Pin your project location as soon as you start tracking a grant — boundary verification is a key component of your vault audit readiness

If you get an amber shield, read the protection statement carefully. It explains whether the issue is fee land vs. trust land, or a boundary edge case. You may still be eligible.

The blue (Treaty Territory) status applies to ceded and ancestral lands

After tribal attestation, work toward email-domain verification to unlock additional sovereignty features

Want to learn more? Module 3: Tribal-Specific Requirements covers sovereign immunity, 2 CFR 200 compliance, and the full registration and compliance readiness checklist for tribal governments.

Location Verification (Sovereignty Shield)