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88 | SIGNATURE MONTANA e inception of NACDC was significantly influenced by Elouise Cobell, a legendary Blackfoot advocate, MacArthur Foundation Genius Grant recipient, and pioneer in indigenous banking as the founder of the first Native American-owned bank. Cobell hand-picked Angie Main, entrusting her as Executive Director to spearhead the organization's efforts from the Blackfeet Reservation. Under Main's guidance, the organization has been providing accessible alternative financing opportunities for Native Americans across all Montana tribal communities. "We've grown from a $56,000 operation to over $13 million by the end of December 2023," she states. We started lending in 2011. We have loans across the board: consumer, business, agriculture, and Native artist lines of credit. en, in 2017, we started housing." Main aributes a significant portion of their growth to the success of their home loan program. " We always knew that in order to be a sustainable organization, we had to have larger, longer-term loans," she explains. "I believe we have 75 home loans right now, and it's not just the Blackfeet. It's from Native Americans across Montana." According to Main, 95% of their housing loans are for homes on reservations, and they have maintained interest rates on real estate at 4.5% since the program's inception. e NACDC is continually fundraising, yet they manage their finances with immediacy. "We deploy as soon as we get funding," Main states, highlighting their strategy to utilize resources efficiently and promptly.

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