2026 grant projects strengthen the financial infrastructure that Native farmers and ranchers rely on to grow.
BISMARCK, ND - The Native American Agriculture Fund (NAAF) invests $9,499,315 in grants through its 2026 RFA cycle, funding 26 organizations and 28 total projects that expand farmers' and ranchers' access to capital. The grants reach Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), Tribal Nations and their instrumentalities, 501c3 nonprofit organizations, and educational institutions working across Indian Country.
Investing in the full circle of lending
NAAF grantees invest in the producer, not just the outcome of a single season. 2026 funded projects provide loans and financing while also helping producers build credit history, strengthen their businesses, and develop succession plans that outlast any one harvest. Together, they create lasting, sustainable opportunity for Native farmers and ranchers.
"Native producers, like farmers and ranchers everywhere, don't get to turn it off or clock out. They are agriculture," said Toni Stanger-McLaughlin, Chief Executive Officer of NAAF. "It's an immense responsibility to feed our people, steward our land, and hold up our economies, every single day, through a system that decided, for decades, who got to grow and who didn't.”
"Some of the people carrying that legacy forward today are the children and grandchildren of the original Keepseagle claimants, now connected to the very Native CDFIs and Tribal programs we're funding this year. They're not an outside institution telling producers what they need. They're neighbors, and in some cases, family, who watched that system up close and know exactly what it will take to make sure the next generation doesn't inherit the same financial barriers.”
NAAF's funding comes from a court-approved settlement and a court-supervised framework. The Trust's 20-year term reflects a purposeful, long-term commitment: deploying these funds to build lasting capacity for Native agricultural producers well beyond a single grant cycle.
This year's grants support farmers and ranchers in different ways. Some pair equity grants with post-closing support that continues long after a loan closes, strengthening a producer's balance sheet so the next round of financing is easier to secure than the last. Others invest in youth and education, equipping the next generation of Native food and agricultural leaders with the skills and knowledge they need to thrive. Some connect affordable debt capital to new local market access, giving producers room to grow where they once had nowhere nearby to sell. Others fund shared cold storage and delivery infrastructure that lowers the upfront cost of reaching wholesale and intertribal markets.
Each approach is different, and everyone meets the same goal: fair access to capital, sustained for generations.
To learn more about the Native American Agriculture Fund and view the 2026 grantee list, visit www.nativeamericanagriculturefund.org/2026-grantees/
