Native Community Development Financial Institutions (NCDFIs) provide capital for Native small businesses, homeownership, community development projects, and consumer banking.  They also provide much-needed training and technical assistance in these areas and are committed to the community as a whole through their efforts. There are presently 28 certified Native CDFIs in communities throughout the United States (up from just two in 1999) on reservations, tribal lands, and in metropolitan areas. There are also over 50 start-up Native CDFIs presently at various stages of development. The majority of these institutions are providers of business revolving loan funds, but there are increasing number of housing loan fund, credit unions, banks, and venture capital institutions.

The U.S. Treasury’s CDFI Fund has special Native initiatives and programs designed to further this development process, including technical assistance grants, financial assistance grants, and certification. In 2003, the National Community Capital Association and Oweesta were awarded a technical assistance and training contract, known as the Native Communities Financing Initiative, with intensive live and online training workshops and onsite technical assistance. Over 100 tribal nations have taken advantage of this two-part training, either through attending an introductory course or enrolling in the long-term training and technical assistance (TA) program. As the only certified Native CDFI intermediary with a primary mission of building Native CDFIs, Oweesta and its partners hope to see the number of certified Native CDFIs swell to over 60 in the next couple of years.

NFEC partners like Oweesta, First Nations Development Institute, Corporation For Enterprise Development, National American Indian Housing Council, the National Congress of American Indians, the CDFI Fund, the Department of Housing and Urban Development and others have been at the forefront of Native CDFI development, research, and funding. Please see links to these organizations and others in NFEC Partners.