Native Enterprise Capacity Building Model - Pacific Northwest Tribal Lending (PNTL), a certified Native Community Development Financial Institution and nonprofit organization, requests $800,000 in ANA EAGLE funding and will provide a $200,000 non-federal share to implement the three-year Native Enterprise Capacity Building Model from September 30, 2026 through September 29, 2029. The project is submitted under Project Area 5: Indigenous Designs to Empower and Advance Self-Determination (IDEAS) and will strengthen Native business creation, economic growth, employment, and Native CDFI capacity. PNTL will initially serve Native entrepreneurs in Whatcom, Skagit, and Snohomish Counties in Washington State, with phased expansion through selected Washington Tribal and Native-serving partners and development of a Pacific Northwest replication model. This project responds to the difficulties Native entrepreneurs experience when navigating disconnected business development, financial documentation, lending, professional service, and post capital resources. It will establish a coordinated pathway that connects outreach, intake, baseline assessment, individualized service planning, business and financial readiness, capital application assistance, referrals, and post-capital stabilization. The project will be implemented through three objectives. First, PNTL will increase the business and financial readiness of at least 225 unduplicated Native entrepreneurs through the Native Enterprise and Lending Accelerator and the Native Business Recordkeeping and Accounting Readiness Desk. At least 150 participants will complete verified readiness milestones, including 100 who complete a business plan, feasibility review, financial projection, or growth plan and 75 who improve recordkeeping or financial management practices. Second, PNTL will integrate a Native Fisheries and Blue Economy Capital Readiness Track into regular operations and serve at least 45 fishers and fisheries-related entrepreneurs within the total participant population. At least 30 fisheries participants will complete specialized milestones, and at least 20 will complete financing, asset acquisition, operating, repair, or growth packages. Third, PNTL will operate a Regional Shared Services and Capital Access Hub through which at least 60 Native-owned businesses submit complete financing, grant, procurement, contract, or investment applications totaling $3 million to $5 million. At least 50 businesses will launch, stabilize, or expand, contributing to at least 50 jobs created or retained. The project will also produce durable organizational and regional infrastructure, including standardized participant procedures, an approved entrepreneur curriculum, fisheries-specific financial tools, partner and lender referral protocols, unique participant and business identifiers, a performance dashboard, post-capital coaching procedures, and two Regional Indigenous Capital Access Convenings conducted during Years 2 and 3. PNTL will use annual cumulative targets, quarterly management and governing-body review, competitive procurement, documented match controls, outcome verification standards, and continuous-improvement procedures to monitor implementation. By integrating these services and systems into regular operations, PNTL will strengthen Native entrepreneurs’ access to responsible capital, improve long-term business stability, expand employment opportunities, and establish a sustainable Native CDFI-led enterprise development model.
