Difference Makers 2.0
Difference Makers 2.0 is a new yearlong sponsored series that 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. Tune in to Difference Makers 2.0 on the leading podcast channels!
Episodes
17 episodes
Harvesting Success | How Taala Fund’s Cedar Root Business Center Has Helped a Quinault Edler Turn Storytelling and Art into a Thriving Business
When 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 ar...
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23:34
FROM HER GRANDMA’S TABLE | How Citizen Potawatomi Community Development Corporation Helped Kelly Price Transform a Family Recipe into a Thriving Business
For 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 Bon...
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26:08
PROGRESS REPORT | Native CDFI Leaders Share Their Small Business Success Stories at Annual Summit
At 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 prope...
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10:37
Road to Success | How Rudy Serrano Launched a Thriving RV Repair Business with Help from the Tigua Community Development Corporation
From 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 Corpo...
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20:31
BEARS, BOATS, AND BUSINESS DREAMS | Native Entrepreneur Brings Tlingit Traditions to Tourism with Spruce Root's Help
Alaska 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....
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41:37
FROM PRE-MED TO SWEET SUCCESS | Native-Owned Bakery Rises in Alaska with Help from Cook Inlet Lending Center
Meet 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 ...
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43:23
MARKET TO MORTAR TO MOBILE | R-Eatz Grows on Winnebago Reservation with Native CDFI Help
Winnebago 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...
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20:01
FROM 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), advocat...
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23:06
'ALWAYS A GOOD DAY ON THE SEA' | Pacific Northwest Tribal Lending Helps Fisherman Live His Big Dream
Tulalip 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...
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23:58
SINK 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 i...
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26:05
WÓYUTE | Four Bands Community Fund Incubates Traditional Grocer
In 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 Lakot...
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16:33
INITIATING CHANGE: Wells Fargo and Native CDFI Network Partner to Bolster Economic Development for Native Americans in California, Nevada
Despite 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.
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37:51
HARVESTING TRADITION | How Four Directions Development Corporation Helped Mi’kmaq Nation Expand a Fishery into an Enterprise
Polluted 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.
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22:48
TRADITIONAL FOODS, MODERN BUSINESS | Nixyaawii Community Financial Services Prepares Iniim Coffee Shop for Success
Nixyaawii 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.
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18:36
FROM THE GROUND UP: Native CDFI Chi-Ishobak Helps Great Lakes Flooring Specialists Lay Foundation for Growth
Nine 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...
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20:25
A RECIPE FOR SUCCESS: How NACDC Financial Services Helped Big Sky Cafe Serve Up Success
Discover 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 America...
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27:25
TRAILER: How Native CDFIs are helping small businesses transform Native communities
Native-owned small businesses can make a big impact in tribal communities. But to do that, they need capital, technical assistance, community support, and even some mentoring from time to time. That’s what we’re going to talk about this season ...
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0:44