HoChunk Community Capital (HCCC), a Native-led Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) based in Winnebago, Nebraska, is growing the next generation of agricultural producers through its Indigenous Youth of Agriculture Project. Serving youth on the Winnebago and Omaha Reservations in rural northeast Nebraska, the two-year project reconnects children, teens, and their families to agriculture through hands-on learning. HCCC re-ignites its weekly afterschool program in partnership with the Winnebago Boys & Girls Club and Little Priest Tribal College Extension, pairing college-aged mentors with an established 4-H curriculum. The project also expands the annual Native Youth Ag Expo, introducing hundreds of students to agricultural careers, implements, and livestock. Access to capital runs through every activity. HCCC deploys zero-interest, credit-building microloans that let youth safely establish a credit history through the Credit Builders Alliance, and the CDFI connects participants to financial literacy and business planning that prepare them for more advanced lending. In doing so, HCCC turns early curiosity into real financial skill and a genuine pathway to business ownership, advancing long-term access to capital.
© Native American Agriculture Fund 2018 
About Company
The Native American Agriculture Fund (NAAF) provides grants to eligible organizations for business assistance, agricultural education, technical support, and advocacy services to support Native farmers and ranchers.
The charitable trust 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.