Difference Makers

The first half of 2026 brought both momentum and uncertainty for Native community development financial institutions. Native CDFIs continue to expand their reach, with about 65 certified institutions nationwide and nearly three dozen more organizations working toward certification. The Native CDFI Network has also launched new initiatives to support emerging lenders, strengthen lending expertise a...

California is home to the largest Native population in the United States and 109 federally recognized tribes. Yet only three Native CDFIs currently operate in the state. Recorded during and after the 2026 California CDFI Summit in Sacramento, this episode explores the effort to strengthen existing Native CDFIs, support the creation of new Native-led financial institutions and expand access to capi...

U.S. Treasurer Brandon Beach recently traveled to the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in Browning, Montana, for his first trip to Montana since taking office — part of a broader swing through Indian Country that also included visits to the Flathead and Coeur d’Alene reservations. In Episode 6 of Difference Makers 3.0, Brian Edwards and Native CDFI Network CEO Pete Upton sit down with Beach after a da...

There are about 65 certified Native community development financial institutions (CDFIs) in the United States — roughly the same number as a decade ago. But that’s starting to change. In Episode 5 of Difference Makers 3.0, Brian Edwards speaks with leaders building new Native CDFIs in Oklahoma, Hawai‘i and the Northeast — part of a growing wave of more than 30 emerging efforts working to expand ac...

Large-scale economic development deals in Indian Country are typically financed through complex capital stacks — combining banks, tax credits and outside investors — with Native CDFIs often left out. That may be starting to change. In Episode 4 of Difference Makers 3.0 , Brian Edwards and Pete Upton speak with Ted Piccolo and Stephen Nunes of Mission Driven Finance about a $65 million flour mill p...

Native communities receive less than one-half of 1% of philanthropic funding in the United States — roughly four or five dollars for every thousand dollars foundations give away. In Episode 3 of Difference Makers 3.0 , Brian Edwards speaks with Kevin Walker, President and CEO of the Northwest Area Foundation, about why Indian Country remains on the margins of mainstream philanthropy — and what cha...

How Native CDFIs grew from federal study into a sovereign finance movement In 2001, the U.S. Treasury Department released the Native American Lending Study , identifying 17 structural barriers to capital access in Indian Country. The report helped catalyze what would become the modern Native CDFI movement. Fifteen years later, Treasury published a follow-up report, Access to Capital and Credit in...

The legal foundations of tribal economies Long before federal banking systems or modern economic policy, Native nations were building trade networks, governing territory and sustaining complex economies. In Episode 1 of Difference Makers 3.0 , legal scholar Robert J. Miller — a citizen of the Eastern Shawnee Tribe and professor of law — joins Brian Edwards and Pete Upton to examine the historical...

Difference Makers 3.0 is a yearlong podcast series from the Native CDFI Network and Tribal Business News that explores how Native community development financial institutions (CDFIs) are reshaping the future of tribal economies — one loan, one partnership, one bold idea at a time. This season, the podcast moves beyond small business stories to spotlight the full spectrum of what Native CDFIs do —...

In the season finale of Difference Makers 2.0 , host Elyse Wild revisits Native entrepreneurs nearly a year after their first interviews to see how their businesses have grown—and how Native CDFIs continue to fuel their success. From rebuilding after Hurricane Helene to expanding RV repair services and turning a beloved food truck into a brick-and-mortar restaurant, these stories highlight resilie...

Pete Upton, CEO of Native CDFI Network, warns of an "existential threat" to the NACA program—the only federal funding stream specifically for Native CDFIs. With 86% of this year's funding at risk and potential complete elimination next year, 69 Native CDFIs serving banking deserts across Indian Country could lose their lifeline. The stakes? 46% of Native lands are banking deserts (1...

With just 3,600 enrolled members and limited financial resources, the Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma faced a challenging question: How could they fund a multi-million-dollar behavioral health center to address the opioid crisis in their community? The answer came through a strategic partnership with Native American Bank, whose expertise in both tribal lending and New Markets Tax Credits made the seemin...

When Quinault Nation elder Harvest Moon changed course from pursuing a medical career to becoming a basketweaver and storyteller, she found her true calling. With support from the Cedar Root Business Center, Moon has transformed her cultural artistry into a thriving business, sharing Quinault traditions with audiences ranging from schoolchildren to major corporations like Microsoft and REI. Differ...

For Kelly Price, her grandmother's fry bread recipe was everything she loved about home. Six years ago, she made a batch to support a needy family in her community, an act of kindness that led her to quit her corporate job and launch Red Bone Indian Tacos. Today, she travels throughout Oklahoma, selling fry bread tacos from a food truck as she prepares to soon open the business's very fi...

At the 5th annual Native CDFI Summit in Washington, D.C., Difference Makers host Elyse Wild caught up with Native CDFI leaders who are transforming their communities through small business support. From NACDC Financial Services' strategic property acquisitions in Montana to MNI Sota Fund's ambitious $19 million campaign in Minneapolis, these executives shared how they're creating sp...

From paralegal burnout to thriving entrepreneur: Rudy Serrano's story shows how the right support can transform a career. After 19 years in law, Rudy found his true calling in mobile RV repair, backed by the Tigua Community Development Corporation's comprehensive business development program. Today, Roadhouse Mobile RV Repair and Inspection serves travelers across the country, combining...

Alaska Native John Hillman spent years working away from his hometown of Hoonah, a remote Tlingit community in Alaska's Alexander Archipelago. When cruise ships began bringing tourists to his community in 2019, he saw his chance to return home. With support from Native CDFI Spruce Root, he and his wife launched Wilderness Island Tours, the area's only Indigenous-owned tour operator, shar...

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...

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 ins...

“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...

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 explores how Native community development financial institutions (CDFIs) are expanding economic opportunity across Indian...

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 memb...

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,” F...

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 explores how Native community development financial institutions (CDFIs) are expanding economic opportunity across Indian Country. From small business lending and homeowners...

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 explores how Native community development financial institutions (CDFIs) are expanding economic opportunity across Indian Country. From small business lending and homeownership t...