Treasury CDFI Fund — Native American CDFI Assistance (NACA) Program
U.S. Department of the Treasury, CDFI Fund
Up to $1.5M (FA) / $200K (TA)
Treasury grants for Native community lenders
The NACA Program provides Financial Assistance (FA) grants up to $1.5M and Technical Assistance (TA) grants up to $200K to Native CDFIs, Emerging CDFIs, and Sponsoring Entities that serve Native American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian communities. FA awards build lending capacity; TA awards build organizational capacity. At least 50% of the CDFI's activities must serve Native communities.
- Funding type
- Grant
- Level
- Federal
- Amount range
- $1,500,000
- Realistic amount
- FY2025 NACA Program received $28 million total — TA awards typically $50K–$150K; FA base awards up to $1.5M. Three-year…
- Deadline
- FY2025 NOFA published January 2025; deadline extended to April 10, 2026 for eligible applicants. FY2026 round timing not yet announced.
- Status
- between-intakes
- States
- Nationwide
- Payment model
- advance
Who qualifies
- Financial Assistance: Applicant must be a Certified CDFI with at least 50% of activities serving Native American, Alaska Native, or Native Hawaiian communities or areas
- Technical Assistance: Certified CDFIs, Emerging CDFIs (demonstrate ability to become Certified within 3 years), and Sponsoring Entities (demonstrate ability to create a new CDFI within 4 years) are eligible
- Sponsoring Entities must commit to creating a new CDFI that will serve a Native American area
- Applicant must submit a completed application through CDFI Fund's Awards Management Information System (AMIS)
- Organization must not be debarred or suspended from federal grants
- Aggregate three-year cap: $5 million total in CDFI and NACA Program awards per organization and affiliates
Hard requirements
- Must be incorporated
- Requires federal certification: cdfi-certification
- Funds intermediaries, not businesses directly
- Demographic eligibility: native-american-owned
What it covers
Eligible expenses
- Loan capital for on-lending to Native American community borrowers (FA)
- Equity investments and deposits to build CDFI lending portfolio (FA)
- Staff training and organizational capacity building (TA)
- Technology infrastructure to improve lending operations (TA)
- Financial product development for Native community needs (TA)
- Marketing and outreach to build CDFI pipeline in Native areas (TA)
Ineligible expenses
- Direct loans to end borrowers from FA award proceeds (must flow through CDFI's lending programs)
- Construction or renovation of physical facilities (generally)
- Lobbying activities
- Costs not compliant with 2 CFR Part 200
- Payments to individuals for personal benefit
How to apply
-
1
Obtain or verify CDFI Certification
Confirm your organization holds active CDFI Certification through the CDFI Fund's AMIS portal. Emerging CDFIs must have a CDFI Fund-accepted certification plan. Sponsoring Entities must provide a plan to create a new Certified CDFI.
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2
Register in SAM.gov and CDFI Fund's AMIS
Ensure active SAM.gov registration with a current UEI. Create or update your organization profile in the CDFI Fund's Awards Management Information System (AMIS) — the required submission portal for NACA applications.
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3
Review the NOFA and select award type
Download the current Notice of Funds Availability from cdfifund.gov. Determine whether you are applying for FA, TA, or both, and confirm your target market qualifies as Native American Area under the NACA Program definition.
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4
Prepare application package and financials
Assemble required documents: audited financials, business plan, performance data, matching fund documentation, and CDFI Certification verification. TA applicants must submit a detailed technical assistance plan.
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5
Submit via AMIS and track status
Submit complete application through AMIS by the NOFA deadline. The CDFI Fund notifies applicants of award status approximately 9–12 months after deadline. Awardees enter into a Performance Agreement with compliance reporting obligations.
Matching funds documentation is the top cause of delayed awards — Native CDFIs must document non-federal matching sources equal to FA award amount. Tribal grants and Section 106 funds often qualify.
Deadline & timing
FY2025 round is active with a revised deadline of April 10, 2026 for certain applicants. FY2026 round expected to open early 2027 based on historic pattern.
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Last reviewed 2026. GrantCompass is an independent funding-discovery tool and is not affiliated with any government agency. Always confirm details on the official program page.