Shows
Difference MakersBefore the BanksEpisode 1 explores how Native CDFIs emerged from a long history of tribal economic systems, legal sovereignty, and policy reform — and why they are tools of nation-building, not diversity programs.Difference Makers 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 News as they shine a spotlight on the people accelerating economic change in Indian Country.
2026-02-1235 min
Difference MakersDifference Makers 3.0 TrailerDifference 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 — from consumer lending to homeownership, credit repair to capital stacking — and why they matter more than ever.Through in-depth interviews with Native CDFI leaders, funders, tribal partners, and clients, Difference Makers 3.0 traces the movement’s histor...
2026-01-2901 min
Difference MakersSEASON WRAP: Native CDFIs Fuel Small Business Success Across Indian CountryIn 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 resilience, innovation, and the critical role of Native CDFIs in strengthening small businesses across Indian Country.Difference Makers highlights how Native community development financial institutions (CDFIs) work alongside their small business clients to accelerate change and cr...
2025-09-0417 min
Difference MakersFUTURE OF NATIVE CDFI FUNDING: A Conversation with Pete UptonPete 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 (12x the national average). Without Native CDFIs, there are no small business loans, no home loans, no economic development. But there's hope. Pete outlines solutions including a $50 million Treasury set-aside and leveraging SSBCI funds. He's calling for a seat at th...
2025-07-3132 min
Difference MakersHEALING CAPITAL | How Native American Bank Helped Pawnee Nation Build a Behavioral Health SolutionWith 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 seemingly impossible project possible."They weren't just a lender—they were a partner and an educator," explains Brian Kirk, Executive Affairs Director for the Nation. The bank stayed engaged throughout years of planning, helping the tribe blend tax credits wi...
2025-05-0821 min
Difference MakersHARVESTING SUCCESS | How Taala Fund’s Cedar Root Business Center Has Helped a Quinault Edler Turn Storytelling and Art into a Thriving BusinessWhen 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.Difference Makers 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 News as they shine...
2025-02-1323 min
Difference MakersFROM HER GRANDMA’S TABLE | How Citizen Potawatomi Community Development Corporation Helped Kelly Price Transform a Family Recipe into a Thriving BusinessFor 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 first brick-and-mortar location.Difference Makers highlights how Native community development financial institutions (CDFIs) work alongside their small business...
2025-01-1626 min
Difference MakersPROGRESS REPORT | Native CDFI Leaders Share Their Small Business Success Stories at Annual SummitAt 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 spaces, opportunities, and pathways to success for Indigenous entrepreneurs. Through business incubators, expanded loan funds, and innovative programs, Native CDFIs are proving that strong small businesses build strong communities. Read their stories and get a glimpse of what's ahead for these difference makers in...
2024-12-1910 min
Difference MakersPROGRESS REPORT | Native CDFI Leaders Share Their Small Business Success Stories at Annual SummitAt 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 spaces, opportunities, and pathways to success for Indigenous entrepreneurs. Through business incubators, expanded loan funds, and innovative programs, Native CDFIs are proving that strong small businesses build strong communities. Read their stories and get a glimpse of what's ahead for these difference makers in...
2024-12-1910 min
Difference MakersROAD TO SUCCESS | How Rudy Serrano Launched a Thriving RV Repair Business with Help from the Tigua Community Development CorporationFrom 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 Rudy's technical expertise with sound business practices learned through TCDC's Native Pathways program. His story proves that with proper guidance and determination, career pivots can lead to both personal fulfillment and business success. #NativeCDFI #SmallBusiness #IndigenousEntrepreneurship #NativeOwned
2024-12-0520 min
Difference MakersBEARS, BOATS, AND BUSINESS DREAMS | Native Entrepreneur Brings Tlingit Traditions to Tourism with Spruce Root's HelpAlaska 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, sharing their culture and love of the local wilderness with visitors.Difference Makers highlights how Native community development financial institutions (CDFIs) work alongside their small business clients to accelerate change and create economic...
2024-11-1441 min
Difference MakersFROM PRE-MED TO SWEET SUCCESS | Native-Owned Bakery Rises in Alaska with Help from Cook Inlet Lending CenterMeet 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 airlines with their treats. From navigating black bears to deliver mountain wedding cakes to shipping celebration cakes to remote villages, Arctic...
2024-10-3143 min
Difference MakersMARKET TO MORTAR TO MOBILE | R-Eatz Grows on Winnebago Reservation with Native CDFI HelpWinnebago 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 Chunk Community Capital's Tony Wood what advice they'd give to aspiring Native entrepreneurs about starting...
2024-10-1720 min
Difference MakersFROM 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 down with podcast host Elyse Wild to discuss how Native CDFIs are helping small businesses and c...
2024-09-2723 min
Difference Makers'ALWAYS A GOOD DAY ON THE SEA' | Pacific Northwest Tribal Lending Helps Fisherman Live His Big DreamTulalip 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 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 News as they shine a spotlight on the people...
2024-09-1223 min
Difference MakersSINK 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 “was in a terrible place for star...
2024-08-0826 min
Difference MakersWÓYUTE | Four Bands Community Fund Incubates Traditional GrocerIn 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 Western diet introduced to our areas made access to healthy foods a key issue for me.”Like many...
2024-07-2516 min
Difference MakersINITIATING CHANGE: Wells Fargo and Native CDFI Network Partner to Bolster Economic Development for Native Americans in California, NevadaDespite 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 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 News as they shine a spotlight on the people accelerating economic change in Indian Country.
2024-07-1137 min
Difference MakersHARVESTING TRADITION | How Four Directions Development Corporation Helped Mi’kmaq Nation Expand a Fishery into an EnterprisePolluted 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 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 News as they shine a spotlight on the people accelerating economic change in Indian Country.
2024-06-2022 min
Difference MakersTRADITIONAL FOODS, MODERN BUSINESS | Nixyaawii Community Financial Services Prepares Iniim Coffee Shop for SuccessNixyaawii 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 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 News as they shine a spotlight on the people accelerating economic change in Indian Country.
2024-06-0618 minDifference MakersFROM THE GROUND UP: Native CDFI Chi-Ishobak Helps Great Lakes Flooring Specialists Lay Foundation for GrowthNine 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 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 News as they shine...
2024-05-2320 min
Difference MakersA RECIPE FOR SUCCESS: How NACDC Financial Services Helped Big Sky Cafe Serve Up SuccessDiscover 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 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 N...
2024-05-0927 min