Takeaways from the 10th Annual Native CDFI Capital Access Convening
July 11, 2025
Attendees at the 10th Annual Native CDFI Capital Access Convening in Waikoloa, Hawaii, in May 2025. All photos courtesy of Oweesta.
Last May, four of our team members attended the 10th Annual Native CDFI Capital Access Convening in Waikoloa, Hawaii, hosted by Oweesta. The event brought together 300+ attendees from around the country to celebrate resilience, innovation, and community strength. Much of the focus was on developing strategies for expanding access to capital and resources for Native community development financial institutions, specifically pathways that lead from resilience to abundance.
Continued progress through adversity
Native CDFIs continue to be resilient during times of challenge and uncertainty. Despite major setbacks from steep funding cuts made by the current administration, Native CDFIs remain motivated and united in advocating for their clients and communities. They keep doing the work — steady and committed — in the ways they know are needed and effective. According to Mary Sienko, implementation director at Sweet Grass and an attendee of the event, “many of the same trends we’ve seen at other conferences and gatherings this year came up again. Where you might expect a gloomy or pessimistic outlook, there’s instead energy and motivation to find new solutions and paths forward.”
Collaboration, new partnerships, and funding innovations were all key topics and trends. Though these have always been relevant to Native CDFIs, they’re even more prevalent and important now. With shared knowledge, mutual understanding, and aligned purpose, Native CDFIs are building on their collective strength. “When you’re in a room full of Native CDFIs, it becomes clear just how much shared learning and collaboration is occurring. The offering of tools, approaches, lessons, best practices, and ideas — it's not just everyone out for themselves. Native CDFIs have a broader view rooted in community and culture, giving them greater power in driving systems change,” says Sienko.
Attendees during a keynote address at the convening.
Outside the conference venue in Waikoloa, Hawaii.
From trauma-informed financial literacy, to food sovereignty, to culturally relevant approaches to business and community development — innovation is a continued focus across the industry. Equally important is the need for Native CDFIs to tell their story clearly and effectively. A key part of advocating for Native CDFIs and the communities they support is showing the impact of their work. As Native CDFIs pursue funding through philanthropy and industry partnerships, it’s becoming increasingly important for them to back their efforts with hard data.
Telling stories of impact
In our work with coalitions and Native CDFIs for the past 10+ years, we’ve seen the power of collaboration and partnership. We’ve witnessed the collective impact of technical assistance, training, and lending — and how these efforts have expanded homeownership, improved credit scores, and supported entrepreneurship and business creation. We know that change can be made and felt through shared ideas, resources, and mentoring. We talked about some of these projects in our presentations and panel discussions throughout the event — each one highlighting ways to improve access to health, wealth, and sovereignty.
Angie Main (center), executive director of NACDC Financial Services, speaks on a panel with Mary Sienko (right).
CDFIs in Advancing Food Sovereignty: A Blackfeet Case Study
Focusing on the 2024 Blackfeet Nation's food system study in northwestern Montana, we discussed ways Native CDFIs can support producers and food sovereignty efforts in their communities through incubator spaces, resource assistance, and youth engagement. The study highlights the community's challenges and aspirations regarding food sovereignty and emphasizes the need for strategic partnerships and targeted initiatives to improve access to healthy, local foods.
Native CDFIs as Trauma-Informed Community Partners
Financial trauma significantly impacts Indigenous communities, affecting their financial behaviors and decision-making processes. We discussed how Native CDFIs can serve as vital partners in addressing financial trauma through culturally grounded practices. We highlighted approaches that minimize re-traumatization and harm, and how empathy and relationship building can promote financial empowerment and client engagement.
Scaling Impact: Native CDFIs Leveraging Salesforce
Through data-driven strategies and community support, we shared how Native CDFIs are using Salesforce to enhance their operational efficiency and impact. We discussed ways to streamline processes for staff and clients, making reporting easier. Featuring NACDC’s annual report dashboards and Four Bands Community Fund’s client journey mapping, we demonstrated the benefits of intentionally collecting data and implementing a tool like Salesforce to track CDFI activities and impact.
Max Van Oostenburg and Jackie Carter, associate research directors at Sweet Grass, attending a panel discussion.
Looking ahead
This year’s convening was a much-needed opportunity for the Native CDFI industry and its partners to come together in a positive and hopeful way — despite the uncertainty and concern many are feeling about the future. It served as a reminder of the strength that comes from relationships, collaboration, and a shared commitment to uplifting the communities Native CDFIs serve. We feel fortunate to work alongside so many inspiring Native CDFIs, and this gathering gave us the chance to reconnect in person and learn more about the important work and ideas taking shape across the network.