Tribal Nations

Tribal nations fight every day to preserve their lands, families, languages and ways of life. Despite centuries-long systemic barriers, Native communities are using the power of self-determination and a good home to turn poverty into pride, and displacement to belonging.

We’ve stood beside and behind Native communities, delivering $350 million to create or preserve 6,800 homes since 1997. In this watershed moment, where Indian Country is seeing infusions of capital not available before, tribes are able to think about fresh ways to support their communities. Our Native-led team is proud to bring nearly 30 years of experience working with Tribal nations to support their vision in this critical moment.

We support the critical work being done across Indian Country in three key areas:

Capacity Building

Housing development training: Supports single and multi-family projects through workforce development, building codes, land use, zoning and access to our Native Developer’s Guide
Homeownership programs: Guides organizations and tribes through every essential element of building a homeownership program connected to their housing plan and the economic development goals of their community, includes our interactive Enhancing and Implementing Homeownership in Native Communities curriculum
Native homeownership coalitions: Engages in consistent collaborations among key organizations involved with improving Native housing development and homeownership systems

Capital Resources

Section 4 grants: Stewards federal funds available from HUD to tribes, Tribally Designated Housing Entities (TDHEs), Tribal Housing Authorities (THAs), and Native Community Development Financial Institutions (Native CDFIs) to help them carry out community development and affordable housing activities that benefit households with low-incomes 
Lines of credit: Extends Equitable Path Forward lines of credit of between $250,000 and $750,000 to eligible Indigenous-led developers for predevelopment, acquisition or refinancing activities 
Recoverable grants: Offer $100,000 to $200,000 in recoverable grants to Native tribes or Native-led organizations serving Native and tribal communities

Policy and Advocacy

Policy: Advocates at the federal, state, and local levels for affordable homes and community development across Indian Country 
Native Advisory Council: Ensures our work is well-informed and sharpened by the many voices of Native peoples and communities

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Featured Programs

Department of Interior Partnership

We are working in partnership with the Department of Interior to help tribes understand and access resources related to affordable housing and community development.

In a trusted advisory role, we are providing thought leadership and strategic guidance, technical assistance, trainings, peer convenings, and program evaluation to Wells Fargo's $20 million, multi-year Invest Native initiative.