Fort Washakie, WY – The Wind River Development Fund (WRDF) announced today that it was awarded a $544,000 grant from the Native American Agriculture Fund (NAAF). The Wind River Food Sovereignty Project, WRDF’s partner in the application, will receive more than $100,000 to support its organization and to provide grants to Native farmers, ranchers and producers on the Wind River Reservation.
The Wind River Development Fund, a Native-led nonprofit located in Fort Washakie, WY, focuses on economic development and supporting entrepreneurs who want to start new businesses or grow their existing businesses. The Wind River Food Sovereignty Project (WRFSP), also located in Fort Washakie, is a nonprofit organization with a mission to increase the supply of local, healthy, and affordable food on the Wind River Reservation.
Paul F. Huberty, an enrolled member of the White Earth Ojibwe and the Executive Director of the Wind River Development Fund, stated, “This grant perfectly complements our recent $36.1 million Recompete award, which includes $4.2 million to support a resilient and sustainable food ecosystem on the Reservation. We were happy to once again partner with Livy Lewis and Kelly Pingree at the Wind River Food Sovereignty Project on this grant application and to combine our organization’s capabilities and expertise.”
The grant includes lending capital and re-grants for Native producers, funding for the Wind River Food Sovereignty Project, and two years of funding for WRDF’s Native Excellence Scholarship Program. WRDF was one of only 31 organizations in the country and one of only six CDFIs to be awarded funding under NAAF’s 2024 funding cycle.
Elisabeth “Livy” Lewis is the Executive Director of the Center for Popular Research Education and Policy, which manages the Wind River Food Sovereignty Project. Lewis commented, “We look forward to continuing our partnership with the Wind River Development Fund to support Native food producers on the Wind River Reservation. Support from NAAF enables us to meet the unique needs of Wind River producers, whose success contributes to building a vibrant local food economy within the community.”
The Native American Agriculture Fund was created by the settlement of the landmark Keepseagle v. Vilsack class-action lawsuit. NAAF is the largest philanthropic organization devoted solely to serving the Native American farming and ranching community.
Wind River Development Fund is a non-profit, Native Community Development Financial Institution located in Fort Washakie, WY. The mission of the Wind River Development Fund is to provide financial opportunities to stimulate economic development on the Reservation, to promote self-sufficiency, self-determination, and an enhanced quality of life for the Reservation community.