Q2 Funding Continues Momentum of Justice-Seeking Work for Long-Time Grant Partners

By building the capacity of social movements, supporting community wellness, providing sustainable financing in Native communities, and more—our Q2 grantees are advancing long-overdue change.

“I don’t know how many times I’ve been the only Native voice in the room, which is important because not everything being discussed will necessarily work in Indian Country,” says Pete Upton (Ponca Tribe of Nebraska), chairperson and CEO of Q2 grantee Native CDFI Network (NCN) and executive director of Native360 Loan Fund.

And being that voice is an important part of advocating for increased appropriations for Native community development financial institutions (Native CDFIs) and informing the design of programs and policies for Indian Country.

Formed in 2009, NCN is a member organization that works to grow and strengthen Native CDFIs through policy advocacy, capacity building, and access to capital to support the economic prosperity of American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian communities. Native CDFIs fill a gap in communities that often face exclusion from mainstream financial services.

Currently, 64 certified and more than 25 emerging Native CDFIs are providing culturally informed and relevant financial products and services to underserved communities across the country. And our region is home to many of them: almost 31 certified and 10 emerging Native CDFIs.

NCN empowers its members to connect and collectively advance policy priorities that foster systemic, sustainable, and equitable Native community and economic development.

NCN is poised to help its member Native CDFIs put $400 million of government funding to work in their communities.

Indian Country has historically been underfunded in nearly every area of economic development, including reliable clean energy development.

In 2023, in a landmark effort to transform clean energy infrastructure in Native communities across the nation, NCN submitted a comprehensive Indian Country application to the Clean Communities Investment Accelerator (CCIA) program, part of the US Environmental Protection Agency’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF).

NCN was selected to receive $400 million of the CCIA funds to enable its community lenders to finance clean energy projects for tribal governments, enterprises, Native-owned small businesses, and Native consumers.

As part of the CCIA program, NCN will deploy capital to its member Native CDFIs that they, in turn, will lend out to their communities. “NCN will also provide grant funding that Native CDFIs can use for technical assistance to grow their organization’s capacity to build a clean energy finance ecosystem for their communities,” Upton says.

“To support that,” he adds, “we’re working with several coalition partners that are experts in clean energy finance. We also plan to hire regional coordinators who will provide technical assistance in areas such as loan product and policy development, capital stacking strategies, and more.”

This historic influx of funding for clean energy projects demands enhanced infrastructure for Native CDFIs.

NCN will use its one-year, $200,000 Q2 grant to support several goals, including the following:

MAINTAIN AND INCREASE CERTIFICATION—help existing Native CDFIs prepare for recertification and support emerging Native CDFIs as they work toward initial certification

STRENGTHEN CAPACITY—grow NCN’s and its members’ capacity through enhanced staffing, training, and funding to meet the increasing demand for their services

DEVELOP A CLEAN ENERGY FINANCE ECOSYSTEM—establish methods to help NCN’s members lend capital to projects focused on clean energy, energy efficiency, and decarbonization efforts in Native communities

NCN joins other Q2 grantees advancing racial, social, and economic justice.

We approved 20 grants totaling more than $1.8 million in this year’s second quarter. Along with NCN are these grantees, among others:

Chief Seattle Club of Seattle—a three-year, $810,000 grant to support staffing for its newly formed Traditional Wellness Team, placing mental health workers at its housing sites and Day Center

Ujamaa Place of St. Paul—a three-year, $600,000 grant to build capacity so it can enhance its volunteer network, expand its partnerships, and strengthen its advocacy efforts

Additional information on our work and recent grantmaking is available from Paul Bachleitner, communications director, at pbachleitner@nwaf.org.

Check out our recent posts highlighting the inspiring work of grantees finding successful strategies to advance justice in their communities. Plus, learn more about our two new program officers.