Dear Native CDFI Leaders:
Thanks to the relentless advocacy of the Native CDFI Network and the Native CDFIs you lead, the current Congressional Appropriations bills for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 feature a 25 percent increase in funding for the Native American CDFI Assistance (NACA) Program administered by the CDFI Fund. The allocated figure for the NACA Program in both the House Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government bill and the recently approved Senate Appropriations Committee is $35 million, $7 million more than the $28 million provided to NACA for FY 2024 (see table below for details).
Through joint comment letters and other advocacy efforts, NCN and Native CDFIs have been pushing for a $50 million allocation for the NACA program to fully meet the demonstrated financial and technical assistance needs of the nearly 100 certified and emerging Native CDFIs across the country. NCN remains committed to advocating with Congress for the $50 million amount, and call on Native CDFI leaders to join us in this endeavor as these Appropriations bills advance through their respective chambers. At a minimum, we need to collectively ensure that the $35 million funding level featured in the current bills is preserved in the final legislation.
With Congress set to return from recess in early September, stay tuned for more from NCN on how we can work together to ensure that Native CDFIs are properly supported by the federal government. In the meantime, to contact your representatives in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives to make your position known on the need for increased NACA Program funding, please see below:
U.S. Senate: Contacting U.S. Senators
U.S. House of Representatives: Find Your Representative (locate by ZIP code)
In solidarity,
Pete Upton
Chief Executive Officer
Native CDFI Network