First Nations Development Institute - What We Do

Current Research Projects

Research Areas

The Research Department at First Nations Development Institute conducts research on a range of topics to promote innovative approaches to economic change in Native communities. Currently, our active research areas are the following:

Approaches to Financial Empowerment and Economic Change
In order for Native communities to effectively control, manage, leverage, increase, retain, utilize, or create assets, they must have access to capital. Lack of access to capital and lack of basic financial services have long been a problem in Native and reservation communities. The reasons for this are complex and multi-faceted. On a macro level, banks have been hesitant to work with reservation communities and land that is in trust status cannot be used for collateral on loans, resulting in a barrier to accessing credit. Because of a lack of access to credit through conventional means, predatory lending, or credit from high-cost or exploitive lenders is common in some reservation communities.

The Native Assets Research Center conducts research on a broad range of issues related to banking and financial services, including access to capital, predatory lending, and financial literacy. The Native Assets Research Center also works with First Nations Oweesta Corporation (FNOC) on a range of issues related to banking and financial services. For more information about First Nations Oweesta Corporation, click here.

Publications & Active Projects

Exercising Sovereignty and Expanding Economic Opportunity Through Tribal Land Management: Research report providing analysis of the experience of tribes seeking to expedite the processing of land title on Indian lands

Combating Predatory Lending: Publications, research and other information about predatory lending in Native American communties.
The Use of Refund Anticipation Loans in Native Communities (RALs) Report detailing the use of Refund Anticipation Loans in Native American communities.

InvestNative: Investing for the Future - An Investor Education Project for Native Communities.
Integrated Asset Building Strategies for Reservation-Based Communities: A 27 Year Retrospective of First Nations Development Institute (IABS Report) A report detailing 27 years of First Nations work in asset building in Indian Country.
Individual Development Accounts in Native Communities (IDAs)
Other publications

Strengthening Native American Philanthropy (SNAP)
First Nations Development Institute developed the Strengthening Native American Philanthropy (SNAP) initiative in 1995 to increase Native American and tribal participation in philanthropy, both as funders and grant recipients.

First Nations believes that tribes and Native organizations can develop their own philanthropic models to protect Native assets and develop new assets. Tribes have a range of organizational options available to them as they design their philanthropic programs, and we are committed to working with tribes and Native nonprofits to find the best model to fit their needs.

Through a combination of education, outreach, and training, First Nations disseminates information about developing philanthropic models and sovereign approaches to charitable giving.

Visit the SNAP Homepage to Learn More About the SNAP Program

SNAP Publications & Active Projects