The IndigiExchange marketplace gives rise to FBB participants by supporting entrepreneurs with selling, pricing, negotiating, and digital marketing. We negotiate contracts to pay participants up front and work with them to determine a fair price and profit margin. All sales are reinvested into buying more products with a percentage used to fund a small Native entrepreneur fund to support makers with micro grants that help support their business. With your purchase, you can support work that allows us to collectively buy, sell, barter and trade which multiplies value and revitalizes our Indigenous economies.

In 2018, NMCC developed a new program called Financial & Business Basics (FBB) to assist Native American families in developing better business tools, address issues of debt, and learn how to apply these principles at home, in the community, and in small locally-owned businesses. FBB is an educational initiative that builds a solid foundation to form and grow business ideas with a household financial plan for success. By teaching both financial literacy concepts and business basics, our program is designed to build a foundation to conceptualize, plan and implement financial goals and business ideas.

New Mexico Community Capital is proud to have impacted 100+ Pueblo households across New Mexico. In addition, we have launched an FBB course in Michigan this past Fall 2020. We are proud to be recipients of a W.K. Kellogg grant which helped us visualize and bring to life the FBB program and IndigiExchange site. At the start of each cohort, participants receive complimentary Chromebook laptops and are guided by a lead Native facilitator and guest speakers through a series of content and Indigenous themes. Corresponding digital tools are presented to reinforce each concept, and weekly assignments ensure their immediate application. At the conclusion of the 7-session training, each participant presents their business and/or household financial goals to the group in a pitch and dinner celebration.

Our approach is non-prescriptive and culturally-based using participatory processes to increase financial literacy and capability while building trust and relationships with other entrepreneurs.