Our work is done in collaboration with the NDN Collective ecosystem and external partners to source other forms of capital as needed, including grants, equity, tax credits, and loan guarantees. The combination of resources is called “braided capital.”  NDN Collective is shifting in how society thinks about economic development. We do so by rooting our lending strategy in Indigenous values: recognizing the interconnectedness of all things and our responsibilities to our homelands and each other.

Through our unique, flexible lending and our  Indigenous movement-building work, NDN Fund moves braided capital in service of defending, developing, and decolonizing Indigenous Peoples and Mother Earth. Capacity-building and power building within our communities is integral to the success of our model, leaving Indigenous Peoples with the technical knowledge and access to networks needed to further develop their economic infrastructure and systems.

Over the next decade, NDN Fund will move more than $100 million in capital to projects that 1) uphold the principles of regenerative and just economies, and 2) are led by and in service to, Indigenous communities. We do this through two lending programs: Relief & Resilience and SEEDING (Social Enterprise & Economic Development for Indigenous Growth).