Our Community Investments program provides access to capital for Native American, Native Hawaiian, and First Nations businesses and nonprofits with a goal of promoting long-term self-directed prosperity and economic opportunity in Indigenous communities.
The majority of Tamalpais Trust’s investments are low-cost loans to Native Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) through relationships facilitated by our partnership with Oweesta Corporation. Oweesta offers financial products and development services to Native CDFIs, who in turn offer technical assistance as well as business, personal, home ownership, agricultural, and other loans within their own communities.
Tamalpais Trust’s loans range from $25,000-$1,000,000 and have increased Native economic sovereignty and financial capacity, benefited local economies, and helped cultivate generational wealth. To date we have a 100% repayment rate for all loans that have matured.
Use our searchable database to learn more about our community investment partners.
Location: South Dakota
Akiptan is the Lakota word for “working together, in a cooperative effort.” Akiptan strives to provide fair financing to Native American agriculture operations throughout Indian Country. As a Native CDFI, Akiptan offers financing for startups, operating capital, ownership, capital purchases, etc. Akiptan not only provides fair lending, but also works with clients to create future goals for their operations and a plan on how to get there.
The Chehalis Tribal Loan Fund (CTLF) is a Native Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) and 501(c)(3) nonprofit established by the Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation to promote economic development and self-sufficiency among tribal members and local businesses. CTLF provides accessible loan options to entrepreneurs, small businesses, and community projects, fostering economic growth within the Chehalis community and surrounding areas. By offering flexible financing solutions, the program supports job creation, strengthens tribal enterprises, and encourages sustainable development—all while honoring traditional cultural values. CTLF reflects the Tribe’s ongoing commitment to building a strong, resilient economy for future generations.
Location: Oklahoma
The mission of the Citizen Potawatomi Community Development Corporation is to finance, promote, educate, and inspire the entrepreneurial growth, economic opportunity, and financial well-being of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation Tribal Community and other under-served Native populations through Financial Education, Access to Capital, Business Development Services, Innovative Capacity Building Practices, and Community Development Initiatives.
Location: Alaska
Cook Inlet Lending Center (CILC), a Cook Inlet Housing Authority non-profit social enterprise, is a Native Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) that helps Alaska Native/American Indians as well as low to modest income families purchase homes in Alaska who experience a lack of access to affordable financial products and services. CILC also offers small business lending solutions designed to help local entrepreneurs establish and grow their businesses. Additionally, CILC provides comprehensive financial wellness programs that include financial education, credit counseling, and personalized coaching to help individuals and families build stronger financial foundations.
Location: Hawaii
The Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement (CNHA) is a member-based 501(c)3 non-profit organization with a mission to enhance the cultural, economic, political, and community development of Native Hawaiians. CNHA provides access to capital, financial education, and individualized financial counseling services, with a focus on low and moderate-income families. Recognized as a National Intermediary, CNHA provides grants and loans targeting underserved communities in Hawaiʻi. CNHA cultivates community loan funds to catalyze capacity building and promotion of minority-owned asset advancement towards financial sustainability and community contribution.
EcoEnterprises Fund is a women-owned and led fund with a 25-year track record of investing in nature-based solutions, with a focus on biodiverse working landscapes in Latin America and the Caribbean. The Fund provides tailored growth capital and value creation services to innovative companies in rural value chains, including those led by Indigenous peoples, that promote climate resilience, preserve and restore globally significant ecosystems, and enhance stakeholder outcomes while delivering financial returns. With a strong commitment to biodiversity conservation, climate action, and social impact, EcoEnterprises Fund focuses on community-driven companies to promote equitable and sustainable development across the region.
Location: Wisconsin
First Nations Community Financial (FNCF) provides opportunities for members of the Native Community. It also makes available financial education and coaching, credit counseling, technical support and other programs and services exclusively for Community members. It is one of four Native CDFI’s that partner to create WIBA-Wisconsin Indian Business Alliance, and currently partners with the Ho-chunk Nation and Ho-Chunk Housing and Community Development Agency to provide a wide range of services and financial products, including mortgage lending, for the Communities and its members.
Location: South Dakota
Serving primarily the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation in the areas of small business development, business lending, financial empowerment, and homeownership, Four Bands utilizes a model called Icahya Woecun (The Place to Grow). This holistic approach, based on Lakota values, offers four dimensions of services; Education, Incubation, Financing, and Advocacy. Four Bands’ mission is to expand prosperity to individuals and families, translating into broader scale economic progress by creating jobs and improving financial capability in the Native communities they serve. By investing in those who don’t have ready access to financial resources, Four Bands strives to break the cycle of poverty.
Location: Maine
Improving the social and economic conditions of the four Native American tribes in Maine — the Maliseet, Micmac, Passamaquoddy, and Penobscot — through education and investment in affordable housing, tribal business ventures, and Native entrepreneurship. Achieved by increasing homeownership among tribal members, improving the quality of housing for Native American people, increasing the number of Native-owned businesses, raising the levels of financial literacy among tribal members, building the business skills of Native American entrepreneurs, and attracting and leveraging capital to Indian Country.
Location: Alaska
In partnership with NDN Collective, Native Conservancy started Giyah Boat Company in 2022 to help reclaim Indigenous ownership and build toward regenerative futures. Giyah builds and sells affordable safe boats so that Native people and fisherpeople can get out and back safely from ocean outings, whether for recreation, subsistence, or commercial purposes, includingharvesting their traditional foods and kelp.
Location: Alaska
Haa Yakaawu Financial Corporation (HYFC) is a subsidiary of the Tlingit Haida Regional Housing Authority (THRHA) based in Juneau Alaska. THRHA has been working since 1973 to meet the affordable housing needs of individuals and families in Southeast Alaska. THRHA’s certified CDFI, HYFC, is committed to helping Southeast Alaskans reach their goals as home buyers and owners, through flexible home mortgage loans, home renovation loans, and personalized financial counseling. In addition, HYFC’s Small Dollar Credit Builder Loan Program helps Southeast Alaskan Citizens to establish and improve credit. These programs support THRHA’s mission of connecting Southeast Alaskans with sustainable housing opportunities and innovative financial solutions.
Location: Hawaii
Hawaiʻi Community Lending (HCL) is a US Treasury certified native Community Development Financial Institution that increases access to credit and capital for the economic self-sufficiency of underserved Hawaii residents with a particular focus on Native Hawaiians. HCL funds the affordable housing ecosystem from the home builder to the home buyer to the homeowner. Since 2002, HCL has assisted Native Hawaiian communities in access more than $160 million for affordable housing to help 4,572 families return to the land.