Advancement of Communities in the Cherokee Nation's 14 county jurisdictional area is Important for the future of the Cherokee Nation.  COTTA, Community Organization Training and Technical Assistance, is designed to strengthen Cherokee communities.  The primary purpose of the Cherokee Nation COTTA Program is to help faith based and community based organizations increase their effectiveness, enhance the ability to provide social services to serve those most in need, enhance the organizational capacity of each organization, diversify funding sources, and create collaborations to better serve those in Cherokee Communities

The COTTA program has been designed to facilitate opportunities for partnerships between Cherokee Nation and it's communities within the 14 county TJSA. It is a self-help catalyst to educate and provide technical assistance to those organizations within the communities in utilizing their own talents and wisdom to secure and administer federal and other funding opportunities. The foundation for COTTA is the understanding that individual communities know and understand most about the needs and visions for their members.

Cherokee Nation has committed to build one-hundred cohesive communities within ten years. Building a strong community requires that it be economically capable of supporting the community members comfortably, ensuring that families are stable and that it's population are both mentally and physically healthy as well as revitalizing the spirit of Ga-Du-Gi, neighbors helping neighbors.