2 DAYS AGO

FROM PRE-MED TO SWEET SUCCESS | Native-Owned Bakery Rises in Alaska with Help from Cook Inlet Lending Center

Meet Jamie Ann Bell (Ahtna Athabascan), who discovered baking was the perfect blend of her love for science and creativity. Starting with a homemade baby shower cake, she and business partner Linnaea Ward-Develice built Arctic Moon Bakery from scratch.Despite a pandemic derailing their initial funding and forcing them into a high-interest loan, they persevered. Thanks to Cook Inlet Lending Center, a Native CDFI, they refinanced at 3% and now supply Alaska's largest coffee producer and local a...

43 min

OCT 17

MARKET TO MORTAR TO MOBILE | R-Eatz Grows on Winnebago Reservation with Native CDFI Help

Winnebago chef Reggie Frazier started his culinary career whipping up dishes on a hot plate at Ho-Chunk Village Farmer’s Market — or Nį̄šoc Wahāgi Hoci in the Ho-Chunk language. He quickly turned his passion for cooking into a thriving brick-and-mortar restaurant and, now, a new food truck with loans from Ho Chunk Community Capital, a Native CDFI. Learn how R-Eatz is feeding the community and inspiring other Native entrepreneurs on the Winnebago reservation. Plus, we asked Reggie and Ho...

20 min

SEP 27

FROM SMALL LOANS TO BIG IMPACTS | How Native CDFIs Empower Communities and Tribal Sovereignty

“If you are not at the table, you are on the menu.”That sentiment guides Native CDFI Network CEO Pete Upton as he works to support Native community development financial institutions (CDFIs), advocating for policy and funding to elevate economic development across Indian Country. Upton always works to make sure Native CDFIs have a seat at the table when decisions are being made that affect Native communities. As we approach the halfway mark of the Difference Makers 2.0 season, Upton sat ...

23 min

SEP 12

'ALWAYS A GOOD DAY ON THE SEA' | Pacific Northwest Tribal Lending Helps Fisherman Live His Big Dream

Tulalip Nation citizen Anthony Henry turned his passion for fishing into a successful business with the help of a Native CDFI named Pacific Northwest Tribal Lending, becoming the captain of his own commercial fishing boat and preserving Tribal fishing rights.Difference Makers 2.0 is a new yearlong series that highlights how Native community development financial institutions (CDFIs) work alongside their small business clients to accelerate change and create economic opportunities in Native co...

24 min

AUG 8

SINK OR SWIM | How a Native Cosmetologist Went From Student to Salon Owner with Help from Sequoyah Fund, Inc.

In 2008, the salon where Julie Painter worked at while she was a student in cosmetology school was about to shut down because the owner was leaving to work in education. Painter's options were to work at a different salon two hours away in Asheville, N.C. — or buy the Visage Salon where she worked and become a business owner."There were two options in front of me," Painter, a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, said. "And I went with option two.” Painter admits that she...

26 min

JUL 25

WÓYUTE | Four Bands Community Fund Incubates Traditional Grocer

In Eagle Butte, S.D., on the Cheyenne River Lakota Reservation, tribal citizens can find high-quality traditional foods, such as bison and wild rice, at Wóyute Natural Foods & Apothecary.For owner Donita Fischer (Cheyenne River Lakota), the business she launched in 2023 is a testament to food sovereignty and a commitment to her community.“Access to healthy foods is really important to me,” Fischer said. “Watching my parents and grandparents succumb to different ailments because of the Wes...

17 min

JUL 11

INITIATING CHANGE: Wells Fargo and Native CDFI Network Partner to Bolster Economic Development for Native Americans in California, Nevada

Despite a Native American population of nearly 800,000, California and Nevada have only one certified Native CDFI. The Native CDFI Network and Wells Fargo are launching a year-long initiative to change that. Difference Makers 2.0 is a new yearlong series that highlights how Native community development financial institutions (CDFIs) work alongside their small business clients to accelerate change and create economic opportunities in Native communities. Join the Native CDFI Network and Tr...

38 min

JUN 20

HARVESTING TRADITION | How Four Directions Development Corporation Helped Mi’kmaq Nation Expand a Fishery into an Enterprise

Polluted waters once limited the Mi’kmaq Nation's access to brook trout. A new fish hatchery and expansion, supported by Four Directions, a Native CDFI, boosts subsistence and economic development.Difference Makers 2.0 is a new yearlong series that highlights how Native community development financial institutions (CDFIs) work alongside their small business clients to accelerate change and create economic opportunities in Native communities. Join the Native CDFI Network and Tribal Business Ne...

23 min

JUN 6

TRADITIONAL FOODS, MODERN BUSINESS | Nixyaawii Community Financial Services Prepares Iniim Coffee Shop for Success

Nixyaawii Community Financial Services helped Umatilla Citizen Sadie Mildenberger turn her dream of owning a business that serves innovative dishes with traditional ingredients into a reality. Difference Makers 2.0 is a new yearlong series that highlights how Native community development financial institutions (CDFIs) work alongside their small business clients to accelerate change and create economic opportunities in Native communities. Join the Native CDFI Network and Tribal Business N...

19 min

MAY 23

FROM THE GROUND UP: Native CDFI Chi-Ishobak Helps Great Lakes Flooring Specialists Lay Foundation for Growth

Nine years ago, Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians citizen Wayne Roberts had an opportunity to turn his decades-long experience in commercial flooring into a business. Discover how Native CDFI Chi-Ishobak helped Roberts with lending and mentorship to scale that opportunity into Great Lakes Flooring Specialists, a thriving family company serving commercial clients across southwest Michigan.Difference Makers 2.0 is a new yearlong series that highlights how Native community development f...

20 min

MAY 9

A RECIPE FOR SUCCESS: How NACDC Financial Services Helped Big Sky Cafe Serve Up Success

Discover how Gary and Sue Raccine's journey from a rejected loan to thriving entrepreneurship was fueled by NACDC Financial Services, a Native CDFI empowering Native American business owners in Montana.Read the story on Tribal Business News. Learn more about Native CDFIs. Difference Makers 2.0 is a new yearlong series that highlights how Native community development financial institutions (CDFIs) work alongside their small business clients to accelerate change and create economic opportu...

27 min

MAY 6

TRAILER: How Native CDFIs are helping small businesses transform Native communities

Native-owned small businesses can make a big impact in tribal communities. But to do that, they need capital, technical assistance, community support, and even some mentoring from time to time. That’s what we’re going to talk about this season on Difference Makers 2.0 — a new podcast that highlights how Native CDFIs work alongside their small business clients to accelerate change and create economic opportunities in Native communities. I’m your host, Elyse Wild. Join the Native CDFI Network a...

1 min

Difference Makers 2.0

Episodes

FROM PRE-MED TO SWEET SUCCESS | Native-Owned Bakery Rises in Alaska with Help from Cook Inlet Lending Center

MARKET TO MORTAR TO MOBILE | R-Eatz Grows on Winnebago Reservation with Native CDFI Help

FROM SMALL LOANS TO BIG IMPACTS | How Native CDFIs Empower Communities and Tribal Sovereignty

'ALWAYS A GOOD DAY ON THE SEA' | Pacific Northwest Tribal Lending Helps Fisherman Live His Big Dream

SINK OR SWIM | How a Native Cosmetologist Went From Student to Salon Owner with Help from Sequoyah Fund, Inc.

WÓYUTE | Four Bands Community Fund Incubates Traditional Grocer

INITIATING CHANGE: Wells Fargo and Native CDFI Network Partner to Bolster Economic Development for Native Americans in California, Nevada

HARVESTING TRADITION | How Four Directions Development Corporation Helped Mi’kmaq Nation Expand a Fishery into an Enterprise

TRADITIONAL FOODS, MODERN BUSINESS | Nixyaawii Community Financial Services Prepares Iniim Coffee Shop for Success

FROM THE GROUND UP: Native CDFI Chi-Ishobak Helps Great Lakes Flooring Specialists Lay Foundation for Growth

A RECIPE FOR SUCCESS: How NACDC Financial Services Helped Big Sky Cafe Serve Up Success

TRAILER: How Native CDFIs are helping small businesses transform Native communities

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