
- Details
- By Native News Online Staff
This week, the Native CDFI Network and Tribal Business News are launching a yearlong podcast series highlighting how Native community development financial institutions (CDFIs) work alongside their small business clients to accelerate change and create economic opportunities in Native communities.
In the absence of traditional banks, Native CDFIs have been critical to driving economic development and access to capital in Native American communities. Today, there are 69 Native CDFIs operating in 27 states throughout Indian Country, according to the Native CDFI Network.
Hosted by podcaster, journalist and content creator Elyse Wild, the Difference Makers 2.0 series takes listeners across Indian Country to meet Native CDFI leaders and their small business clients who are making an impact on their Native communities. Native CDFI Network, sponsor of the podcast and a related content series, is co-producing the digital media project with Tribal Business News Content Studio to raise awareness of the impact Native CDFIs have on Native communities.
The first episode of the 20-part series features NACDC Financial Services Inc., a Montana-based Native CDFI, and their small business client, Big Sky Cafe, in the small border town of Cut Bank, Mont. Cafe owners and married couple Gary and Sue Raccine (Blackfeet) faced rejection after rejection from banks before connecting with an old friend working as a loan officer for NACDC Financial Services.
"We went to NACDC again to talk to them about it. We didn't talk long when they said, 'We're going to back you,'" Sue said.
Today, the Big Sky Cafe is one of two sit-down restaurants in Cut Bank and is a gathering place for the community. NACDC Financial Services Executive Director Angie Main underscores the close, mutual partnership between the two.
"They have been committed since day one; they jumped right in," Main said. "We wanted to champion them, and in turn, they always champion us, too. It's a team effort and we are all a part of the team."
Difference Makers 2.0 debuts Thursday, May 9. Tune in wherever you listen to podcasts and visit Tribal Business News to read along.
More Stories Like This
Native News Weekly (August 25, 2024): D.C. BriefsUS Presidents in Their Own Words Concerning American Indians
Native News Weekly (August 4, 2024): D.C. Briefs
Native News Weekly (June 29, 2025): D.C. Briefs
Oak Ridge Fire on Navajo Nation Tops 200 Acres, Triggers Emergency Evacuations
Help us tell the stories that could save Native languages and food traditions
At a critical moment for Indian Country, Native News Online is embarking on our most ambitious reporting project yet: "Cultivating Culture," a three-year investigation into two forces shaping Native community survival—food sovereignty and language revitalization.
The devastating impact of COVID-19 accelerated the loss of Native elders and with them, irreplaceable cultural knowledge. Yet across tribal communities, innovative leaders are fighting back, reclaiming traditional food systems and breathing new life into Native languages. These aren't just cultural preservation efforts—they're powerful pathways to community health, healing, and resilience.
Our dedicated reporting team will spend three years documenting these stories through on-the-ground reporting in 18 tribal communities, producing over 200 in-depth stories, 18 podcast episodes, and multimedia content that amplifies Indigenous voices. We'll show policymakers, funders, and allies how cultural restoration directly impacts physical and mental wellness while celebrating successful models of sovereignty and self-determination.
This isn't corporate media parachuting into Indian Country for a quick story. This is sustained, relationship-based journalism by Native reporters who understand these communities. It's "Warrior Journalism"—fearless reporting that serves the 5.5 million readers who depend on us for news that mainstream media often ignores.
We need your help right now. While we've secured partial funding, we're still $450,000 short of our three-year budget. Our immediate goal is $25,000 this month to keep this critical work moving forward—funding reporter salaries, travel to remote communities, photography, and the deep reporting these stories deserve.
Every dollar directly supports Indigenous journalists telling Indigenous stories. Whether it's $5 or $50, your contribution ensures these vital narratives of resilience, innovation, and hope don't disappear into silence.
The stakes couldn't be higher. Native languages are being lost at an alarming rate. Food insecurity plagues many tribal communities. But solutions are emerging, and these stories need to be told.
Support independent Native journalism. Fund the stories that matter.
Levi Rickert (Potawatomi), Editor & Publisher