Shows / Difference Makers
Difference Makers
Difference Makers is a 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.
Episodes
Difference MakersQ3 Update: The Work Continues
Elections bring new officials and new priorities. For Native CDFIs, the work of expanding access to capital continues. In this episode of Difference Makers…
Difference MakersMuscle Memory
Native CDFIs know their communities. Turning that knowledge into a sustainable lending program takes testing, discipline and the right systems. In this episode…
Difference MakersBeyond the Grants
Native CDFIs know their communities. Banks have capital. But bringing the two together takes more than a grant. In this episode of Difference Makers 3.0, host…
Difference MakersMid-Year Update
The first half of 2026 brought both momentum and uncertainty for Native community development financial institutions. Native CDFIs continue to expand their…
Difference MakersWhy Only Three?
California is home to the largest Native population in the United States and 109 federally recognized tribes. Yet only three Native CDFIs currently operate in…
Difference MakersThe Treasurer Visits Blackfeet
U.S. Treasurer Brandon Beach recently traveled to the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in Browning, Montana, for his first trip to Montana since taking office —…
Difference MakersThe Next Builders
There are about 65 certified Native community development financial institutions (CDFIs) in the United States — roughly the same number as a decade ago. But…
Difference MakersThe Flour Mill
Large-scale economic development deals in Indian Country are typically financed through complex capital stacks — combining banks, tax credits and outside…
Difference MakersPhilanthropy’s Blind Spot
Native communities receive less than one-half of 1% of philanthropic funding in the United States — roughly four or five dollars for every thousand dollars…
Difference MakersFrom Policy to Practice
How Native CDFIs grew from federal study into a sovereign finance movement In 2001, the U.S. Treasury Department released the Native American Lending Study…
Difference MakersBefore the Banks
The legal foundations of tribal economies Long before federal banking systems or modern economic policy, Native nations were building trade networks, governing…
Difference MakersDifference Makers 3.0 Trailer
Difference Makers 3.0 is a yearlong podcast series from the Native CDFI Network and Tribal Business News that explores how Native community development…
Difference MakersSEASON WRAP: Native CDFIs Fuel Small Business Success Across Indian Country
In 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…
Difference MakersFUTURE OF NATIVE CDFI FUNDING: A Conversation with Pete Upton
Pete Upton, CEO of Native CDFI Network, warns of an "existential threat" to the NACA program—the only federal funding stream specifically for Native CDFIs…
Difference MakersHEALING CAPITAL | How Native American Bank Helped Pawnee Nation Build a Behavioral Health Solution
With just 3,600 enrolled members and limited financial resources, the Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma faced a challenging question: How could they fund a…
Difference MakersHARVESTING 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…
Difference MakersFROM 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…
Difference MakersPROGRESS 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…
Difference MakersROAD 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…
Difference MakersBEARS, 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…
Difference MakersFROM 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…
Difference MakersMARKET 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…
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…
Difference Makers'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…
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…
Difference MakersWÓYUTE | 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…
Difference MakersINITIATING 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…
Difference MakersHARVESTING 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…
Difference MakersTRADITIONAL 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…
- Difference Makers
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…
Difference MakersA 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…
Difference MakersTRAILER: 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…