2026 Grantees

Enumclaw, WA

Website: www.feed7generations.org/ 

Feed Seven Generations, through its NGG Initiative, delivers a comprehensive support ecosystem designed to strengthen Native agricultural enterprises and improve access to capital for Native farmers, ranchers, and food entrepreneurs across Indian Country. The project features a 12-month continuum of business training, individualized technical assistance, direct mini-grants, and market access opportunities, all grounded in Native values and land stewardship. By serving both current and next-generation producers through business education, financial literacy, flexible capital, and connections to buyers and funders, Feed Seven Generations’ initiative directly advances NAAF’s mission by equipping Native producers with the resources, knowledge, and networks needed to build thriving, resilient agricultural businesses and food systems.

Fayetteville, Arkansas

Website: nativeagfinance.org/ 

Portland, OR

Website: https://nwnc.org/ 

The Northwest Native Chamber’s Pacific Northwest Native Producer Cohort Technical Assistance and Capital Access Program supports farmers, fishers, and food producers in overcoming persistent barriers to growth, including limited capital, infrastructure, and market access. Through a combination of cohort-based applied training, individualized technical assistance, and milestone-based regranting, the program equips small and emerging producers across the region with the skills, resources, and capital needed to scale their businesses and participate more fully in regional and intertribal food systems. By addressing the unique challenges of rural locations, regulatory compliance, and the need for culturally-relevant support, NWNC’s approach prepares participants for long-term success and economic resilience. This initiative directly advances NAAF’s mission by increasing access to capital for producers and strengthening food sovereignty, business capacity, and economic opportunity within Native communities.

Eagle Butte, SD 

Website: https://fourbands.org/  

CDFI

Winnebago, Nebraska

Website: https://hochunkcdfi.org/ 

CDFI

HoChunk Community Capital (HCCC), located on the Winnebago Reservation in northeastern Nebraska, supports financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and economic development for individuals and businesses. HCCC’s project, Ho Chunk Capital Access and Development, strengthens HCCC’s existing agribusiness revolving loan fund, which provides microenterprise and small-business loans to support agricultural start-ups, expansions, and value-added opportunities. In partnership with community organizations, HCCC pairs access to capital with technical assistance and education in business planning, financial literacy, value-added organic products, and food sovereignty practices. By combining financing with targeted education and support, HCCC aims to strengthen the financial and business readiness of  producers, create opportunities for sustainable agriculture businesses to grow and thrive, and improve long-term access to capital within the community.

Browning, Montana

Website: https://www.nacdcfinancialservices.com/ 

CDFI

NACDC Financial Services, Inc. NAAF’s project Montana Native Agricultural Producer Capacity and Capital Access Initiative supports both start-up and established farmers and ranchers on reservations in Montana. Through a comprehensive suite of wraparound services, including personalized technical assistance, credit-building programs, agriculture business loans and regrants, workshops, youth and community engagement, and food sovereignty initiatives, NACDC aims to increase producers’ business and financial skills, enhance their access to affordable capital, and strengthen the sustainability and resiliency of their operations. By addressing infrastructure gaps and limited market access and implementing innovative approaches, this project directly advances NAAF’s mission to increase capital access and economic opportunity for agricultural producers.

Petoskey, MI

Website: https://nscdi.org/  

CDFI

Northern Shores Community Development, Inc. (NSCDI) is a Communitiy Development Financial Institution (CDFI) serving producers across the state of Michigan, including beginning farmers and agricultural businesses connected to the five Tribes represented in the 1836 Treaty area. Through their project, Advancing Native Treaty-Right and Tradition-Based Business in Michigan, NSCDI strengthens access to affordable capital while helping producers become better prepared for financing. The project provides $60,000 in re-grants to 15–20 Native agricultural producers for infrastructure, equipment, supplies, grant matching funds, and other eligible business expenses, while also providing up to $180,000 in low-interest loans to as many as 10 Native-owned agricultural businesses. Two technical assistance specialists provide individualized support to improve business readiness and reduce financial risk. The project addresses significant barriers facing producers, including rising costs, reductions in federal grant and support programs, and challenges accessing affordable financing. Its combination of grants, below-market loans, and one-on-one technical assistance creates an integrated approach to supporting agricultural business growth, credit-building, and long-term financial stability. The project also supports culturally grounded agricultural enterprises, Tribal food systems, local economies, and stronger market networks.

Fort Washakie, WY 

Website: https://wrdf.org/  

CDFI

Wind River Development Fund (WRDF) is a Native-led Communitiy Development Financial Institution (CDFI) and the only Native CDFI in Wyoming providing access to capital and financial support for  farmers, ranchers, and agricultural producers. Their project, Building a Thriving Native Agriculture Economy in Wind River, supports farmers, livestock producers, agricultural students, and community members on the Wind River Indian Reservation, including the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho communities. The project provides affordable, fixed-rate debt capital to  producers looking to start, strengthen, or expand their operations, along with grants that help ranchers cover the costs of processing and labeling beef for local sale. The project also provides scholarships for  students pursuing agricultural education and supports the Sweetgrass Food Lodge through direct purchases of produce and foods from local vendors and farmers. Together, these efforts strengthen the agricultural economy while improving local food access and creating new opportunities for producers to reach local markets. The project addresses challenges that are particularly relevant to rural reservation communities, including limited access to affordable financing, the costs associated with entering local markets, and the need to strengthen local food systems. Its innovative approach connects agricultural financing with market development, education, food production, and community food access. By helping ranchers test local beef sales, supporting producers through direct purchasing, and providing affordable loans and grants, WRDF creates multiple pathways for agricultural producers to generate income and keep economic activity within the community.

Fayetteville, AR 

Website: https://www.indigenousfoodandag.com/  

EDU Org

Durango, Colorado

Website: https://www.fortlewis.edu/

Fort Lewis College (FLC) located in Durango, Colorado, is reclaiming part of its history as an agriculture research station. Their project Training and Professional Development for Beginning Native Farmers builds on FLC’s previous work in training aspiring agricultural producers and providing spaces for farmers to put crops in the ground. The project site at FLC’s Old Fort is in Hesperus, Colorado, adjacent to the Southern Ute Indian Reservation.

Approximately 38 percent of FLC’s students are Native and represent Tribal Nations and communities from across the country. With this grant, FLC intends to augment their intern and farmer-in-training cohorts, expand their Indigenous garden, and pilot agricultural training field courses. Their program seeks to alleviate the lack of advanced training for students interested in pursuing a career in agricultural production. The goal of FLC’s training program is to establish an avenue for producers to launch successful farm and ranch operations, with an infusion of financial and capital access training throughout the coursework.

Laveen, Arizona

Website: https://www.gccseagles.org/ 

Agriculture is at the core of the cultures of the Pima and Maricopa peoples of Gila River Indian Community (GRIC), where the Gila Crossing Community School serves youth from across the Gila River Indian Reservation. Their NAAF project, Hydroponics, introduces students to a hydroponic growing system. GRIC has an agriculture-based economy that is highly dependent on secure water delivery and manageable temperatures. The introduction of this a growing system allows students to engage in a year-round food production regardless of weather conditions, soil quality, or land availability. The project demonstrates that learning and production opportunities expand beyond the typical conditions and practices and provides  youth with hands-on agriculture and STEM education through a growing system that increases access to fresh foods, strengthens health and academic outcomes, and builds foundational knowledge in agricultural economics and access to capital.

Box Elder, Montana

Website: https://www.stonechild.edu/ 

EDU Org

Cusick, Washington

Website https://kalispeltribe.com/ 

The Kalispel Tribe Department of Agriculture’s USDA‑Certified Meat Processing Facility Project seeks to provide farmers and ranchers with essential infrastructure and technical support, enabling them to process livestock locally and access higher-value markets. By removing long-standing barriers to market participation and capital readiness, such as a lack of certified processing, high transportation costs, and insufficient business documentation, the facility will help producers demonstrate revenue, improve creditworthiness, and pursue loans and grants for business growth. This shared-use, community-centered model strengthens individual enterprises and regional food systems while advancing Tribal food sovereignty and long-term economic stability, directly supporting NAAF’s mission to increase capital access for agricultural producers.

Nome, Alaska

Website: https://kawerak.org/ 

Kawerak, Inc. is a Tribal consortium headquartered in Nome, Alaska, serving more than 10,000 American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN) across the Bering Strait Region through education, culture, and economic development. ROOTS: Regional Outcomes and Opportunities for Tribal Soil Solutions seeks to transform locally available materials like fish and crab waste, seaweed, and food waste into compost and soil amendments necessary to strengthen local food production. By cutting the high cost of imported supplies while expanding access to subsistence and locally grown foods, ROOTS decreases financial barriers to success and expands producers’ access to the capital they need, improving long-term outcomes for the people and the soil.

Pembroke, NC

Website: https://www.lumbeetribe.com/ 

The Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina’s Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources supports the Tribe and its producers with establishing and growing agricultural businesses. The Tribe’s NAAF grant, Strengthening Native Producer Access Through a Tribally Governed Intertribal Food System, expands the Tribe and Department of Agriculture’s work by coordinating aggregation and distribution so producers can reach institutional, wholesale, and intertribal markets. The project invests in shared infrastructure, including a refrigerated delivery truck and mobile cold storage powered by dedicated generators, to cut post-harvest loss and lower the upfront costs that keep individual producers out of higher-value markets. It pairs this with digital tools that help producers build verifiable sales histories and a Roots to Revenue workshop series that strengthens financial literacy, business planning, and capital readiness. The Lumbee Tribe is reducing agricultural risk, stabilizing income, and preparing producers to meet lender and grant requirements, increasing their ability to access key resources to grow and sustain operations.

Kingston, Washington

Website: https://pgst.nsn.us/ 

Tribes

The Salish Sea continues to sustain the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe, just as it has for generations upon generations. The Tribe’s traditional lifeways and food sovereignty are tied intrinsically to the Salish Sea, including the shellfish it supports. Building on earlier Native American Agriculture Fund (NAAF) investments that helped establish the Little Boston Oyster Farm and formalize the Tribe’s shellfish Enhancement Program, the S’Klallam Working Waterfront Initiative invests in the marine infrastructure needed to sustain and grow the program, including a custom, Tribe-owned shellfish work barge and gravel for reservation beach enhancement. The barge replaces labor-intensive manual hauling, moving oyster seed directly from the Floating Upweller System (FLUPSY) to the farm, transporting gear and restoration materials, and delivering gravel precisely to targeted beaches within narrow tidal windows. The gravel stabilizes beach substrate to improve shellfish survival and protect harvest beaches used for subsistence, ceremonial, and enhancement work. By putting specialized, Tribe-owned infrastructure within reach, the project reduces operational risk from tides, weather, and shoreline conditions. The S’Klallam Working Waterfront Initiative also removes barriers to success and food access while furthering the Tribe’s resource stewardship through traditional food production.

Akwesasne, New York

Website: https://www.srmt-nsn.gov/

The Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe’s (SRMT) Agriculture Program operates a 140-acre organic-practicing educational farm and supports a set of community-rooted initiatives that advance food sovereignty by providing affordable, locally-produced food, traditional foods and seeds, and hands-on support for Mohawk producers. Through NAAF support, the Akwesasne Meat Processing Facility Feasibility Study & Capacity Building Among Farmers & Producers builds on that foundation in two ways: it conducts a feasibility study for a Tribally-owned, USDA-inspected meat processing facility in Akwesasne, and it expands the Akwesasne Farmers Assistance Project that connects producers through training, shared resources, and conservation supplies. By assessing the viability of Tribe-owned processing infrastructure and strengthening farmer networks, SRMT reduces agricultural risk, builds long-term capacity, and opens new pathways to the capital its producers need to grow and sustain their operations.

Fayetteville, Arkansas

Website: https://indigenousfoodandagricultureinitiative.com/  

The Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative (IFAI) supports Tribal Nations through various agricultural programs and technical assistance aimed at establishing nation-to-nation relationships with the federal government in agriculture. IFAI’s Building Agricultural Business Potential for Native Youth in Indian Country, expands the organization’s impact by enhancing its annual Native Youth in Food and Agriculture Leadership Summit through place-based learning in Indian Country, specialty financial and policy education, and a peer mentoring program that strengthens knowledge, leadership, and community among Native youth agriculturalists. Celebrating its thirteenth Youth Summit in 2027, IFAI remains committed to youth educaiton and leadership development. The annual event brings together youth from across Indian Country for seven days of skill-building and community engagement. The immersive, hands-on learning experience builds foundational knowledge in agriculture, business development, food systems, and legal infrastructure. The Summit features five curriculum tracks: Agricultural Law and Policy, Land Stewardship and Conservation, Nutrition and Health, Animal Science, and a Special Focus area, each tailored to address the unique challenges and opportunities faced in Indian Country. The Youth Summit’s plan to expand agricultural business and risk management track programming into plenary sessions for all attendees ensures a broad exposure to essential topics such as access to credit, financial opportunities, and available business resources. IFAI’s annual Summit encourages place-based learning and broadens opportunities for connection, taking place for the first time in Indian Country. This change creates intentional opportunities to deepen partnerships with Tribal governments, producers, Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), and youth. Finally, IFAI’s peer mentoring program expansion incorporates lessons learned and participant feedback. NAAF supported the program’s pilot in 2026, which pairs Summit alumni with current participants for post-Summit guidance. This approach has successfully kept Summit attendees engaged in agriculture year-round while providing peer mentors with leadership opportunities to further their development as young professionals.

Tahlequah, Oklahoma

Website: https://cherokee.org 

Youth Projects

The Cherokee Nation’s Sequoyah High School in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, empowers Native American students in grades nine – 12 with the skills and knowleedge needed to be future farmers, ranchers, agriculturalists, and leaders. As a historic Bureau of Indian Education school serving 99 percent Indigenous students, SHS’s NAAF-funded project Sequoyah High School Agriculture Education 2026 furthers its commitment and expands on 2025 NAAF funding, which established Agriculture I and Horticulture courses. With NAAF support, the program also established a local FFA chapter, and students immediately jumped into competitions, competing in livestock judging and other Career Development Events (CDEs) throughout the year. The 2026 NAAF funding supports SHS with adding an additional agricultural class, providing students with a pathway to continue their agricultural journeys both in production and in the field. It also supports the FFA members with leadership development through attending events such as the State and National FFA Conventions. As the program celebrates its second year, the school aims to increase its participation in livestock judging and showing and establish a broiler program on campus, educating students on profit and loss, assets and liabilities, and the return on investment through their work. Students also gain understanding in accessing banking services to secure a mortgage, how to leverage livestock purchases, and how to secure financing for equipment purchases to run their own operations in the future.

Pablo, Montana

Website: https://cskt.org/ 

Youth Projects

Kansas, Oklahoma

Website: https://www.dccpok.org/

Youth Projects

Winnebago, Nebraska

Website: https://hochunkcdfi.org/

Youth Projects

Mission, South Dakota

Website: https://www.sintegleska.edu/ 

Youth Projects

Sinte Gleska University (SGU), chartered by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe in 1970 as the first Tribal college accredited at the four-year level, is helping the next generation of producers explore opportunities in agriculture through its Sicangu Lakota Youth Ranchers and Farmers Project. Grounded in Lakota teachings, elders’ knowledge, and hands-on time with SGU’s 27-year-old bison herd, the program pairs gardening, ranching, and farming skills with a strong access-to-capital component. In partnership with Native-serving Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), such as Tatanka Funds, Akiptan Inc., Oweesta, and the Lakota Fund, as well as SGU’s Business Education Department, youth gain financial literacy, build startup business plans, and meet with Tribal lenders to learn more about the industry and accessing capital. In doing so, the project reconnects youth to the land and traditional foodways while building the long-term capacity for  agriculture.