Name

Wind River Development Fund

Legal name

Wind River Development Fund

Website

https://wrdf.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Development Financial Services

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Federal & Federally-Sponsored Credit Agencies (6111)

akta.pro primary industry

SBA/Government-Backed & Development Finance Loans (FSAKAGAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Impact Investing & Social Finance (Funds, CDFIs, Microfinance) (BPAGALAA)

Keywords

• Native CDFI lending
• Small business loans
• Agricultural producer loans
• Community development financing
• Tribal economic development

Headquarters

HQ city

Fort Washakie

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Loan Interest and Fees: WRDF generates revenue through interest income on loans provided to small businesses and agricultural producers. Loans range from $1,000 to $400,000 with fixed interest rates typically between 6% and 9%, and terms up to 180 months.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Wind River Development Fund is a Native Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) that provides small business and agricultural loans ranging from $1,000 to $400,000 with fixed interest rates of 6–9% and terms up to 180 months to entrepreneurs and small businesses on or near the Wind River Indian Reservation. The organization complements its lending with financial education, business planning, and technical assistance services, and supports its community through facility leasing and scholarship programs.

Product overview

Wind River Development Fund operates as a Native Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) offering a unified portfolio of loan products and support services for economic development on the Wind River Indian Reservation. The core offerings consist of Small Business Loans and Agriculture Business Loans (ranging from $1,000 to $400,000), complemented by Financial Education and Business Planning support services. Additional services include Meeting Space and Office Space rentals at the Frank B. Wise Business Plaza. A sister organization, the Wind River Sage Fund, manages larger-scale economic development projects including the $36 million Recompete grant. The organization also administers the Native Excellence Scholarship Program for agriculture students.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Small Business Loan Loan product for starting, expanding, or purchasing businesses with amounts from $1,000 to $400,000, terms up to 180 months, and fixed interest rates typically between 6% and 9%. Funds can be used for working capital, real estate acquisition, machinery, business acquisition, or debt refinancing. Collateral is required and up to 100% financing is available.
• Agriculture Business Loan Loan product for starting, expanding, or maintaining farming and ranching operations with amounts from $1,000 to $400,000 and flexible repayment terms based on cash flow. Same core terms as the Small Business Loan product.
• Financial Education Services One-on-one assistance with budgeting, savings goals, and credit building for Wind River Indian Reservation residents. Delivered by staff certified in Indianpreneurship and Building Native Communities financial coaching curricula.
• Business Planning Services Side-by-side support for entrepreneurs developing business strategies, plans, and financial forecasts. Includes an 8-week Strengthening and Growing Entrepreneurs (SAGE) business planning class.
• Meeting Space Rental (Classroom and Conference Room) Two meeting spaces at the Frank B. Wise Business Plaza available for business meetings, trainings, and community events. Classroom seats up to 60 people with Zoom capabilities ($200/day).
• Office Space Lease (Frank B. Wise Business Plaza) Approximately 15,000 square feet of office space for local businesses in a modern facility at the Frank B. Wise Business Plaza. Houses various local businesses, nonprofits, tribal entities, and educational organizations.
• Native Excellence Scholarship Program Scholarship program supporting Native students pursuing agriculture degrees at Central Wyoming College, providing $5,000 total per recipient ($2,500 per year), funded by Native American Agriculture Fund.

Quantifiable outcome

• $1.8 million in loans deployed in 2025
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• Central Wyoming CollegemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2025WRDF partners with Central Wyoming College on the Native Excellence Scholarship Program for agriculture students. The college also has an extension office at the Frank B. Wise Business Plaza.
• Wind River Sage FundcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2025Established by WRDF as a separate nonprofit corporation to manage regional economic development projects. Shares management team and board of directors with WRDF. Currently managing the $36 million Recompete Plan and $4 million outdoor recreation grants.
• Mountain | Plains Regional CDFI CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022WRDF is a founding member of this coalition of nine Native CDFIs from North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, and Wyoming. In 2022, the coalition was awarded a five-year $45 million grant from EDA's Build Back Better Regional Challenge.
• Eastern Shoshone TribecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Eastern Shoshone Tribe is one of two federally-recognized tribes residing on the 2.2-million-acre Wind River Indian Reservation. WRDF partners with the Tribe on economic development initiatives including the Recompete Plan.
• Northern Arapaho TribecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Northern Arapaho Tribe is one of two federally-recognized tribes residing on the Wind River Indian Reservation. WRDF partners with the Tribe on economic development initiatives including the Recompete Plan.
• Shoshone and Arapaho Tribal Fish and GamecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWRDF partners with Tribal Fish and Game on outdoor recreation projects including improvements at Ray Lake, Bull Lake, Dinwoody Lake, and Moccasin Lake as part of a $1 million investment.
• Wind River Tribal Buffalo InitiativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWRDF is partnering with the Wind River Tribal Buffalo Initiative on construction of the Tribal Buffalo Center at the Wind River Tribal Buffalo Initiative as part of the Recompete Plan.
• Wind River Food Sovereignty ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWRDF supports the Wind River Food Sovereignty Project which operates Trout Creek Farm, a 30-acre learning center and food producer for reservation communities. The project is part of the $36 million Recompete grant.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Oweesta Corporation: The Native CDFI intermediary providing training, technical assistance, and re-granted capital to Native CDFIs nationwide. Acts as a backstop and accelerator for WRDF's sector and a sibling institution to the Mountain | Plains Coalition. Not a direct lending competitor but a structurally critical peer.
• Coastal Enterprises Inc. (CEI): One of the largest U.S. CDFIs providing small business loans, rural equity, and workforce financing in distressed geographies. Comparable CDFI model and social-impact lending mission at much greater scale than WRDF.

Direct peers

• NACDC Financial Services: A Native CDFI serving tribal communities in Montana with small business and consumer lending, technical assistance, and economic development programs — directly comparable in mission and lending model to WRDF and an active coalition partner of WRDF in the Mountain | Plains Regional CDFI Coalition.
• Lakota Funds: A Native CDFI on the Pine Ridge Reservation providing small business and agricultural loans to Oglala Lakota entrepreneurs. Closely comparable lending products ($1K–$400K range), reservation geography, and mission to WRDF, also a Mountain | Plains Coalition co-member.
• CDC Small Business Finance: A California-headquartered CDFI that originates SBA and conventional small business loans to underserved entrepreneurs. Highly comparable small business lending product suite, mission of capital access for underbanked, and CDFI status.
• Four Directions Development Corporation: A Native CDFI serving Passamaquoddy and Penobscot tribal members in Maine with small business and consumer lending, housing support, and financial education — directly comparable in product mix and nonprofit CDFI structure to WRDF.
• Mvskoke Loan Fund: A Native CDFI serving Muscogee (Creek) citizens in Oklahoma with small business and consumer loans and financial coaching. Closely analogous CDFI model, reservation-based lending, and tribal-led mission to WRDF.
• Akiptan, Inc. A Native CDFI delivering agricultural and rural business capital to Native producers across the Northern Plains, with overlapping ag loan products and a similar Indigenous-led model. Peer to WRDF's Agriculture Business Loan and a Mountain | Plains Coalition member.
• Springboard Nonprofit Consumer Credit Management: A certified CDFI credit counseling and small dollar lender providing financial education and microenterprise loans to underserved communities — overlapping with WRDF's technical assistance and small-dollar loan model.

Others

• Wind River Sage Fund Inc. Separate nonprofit corporation created by WRDF in February 2025 to manage the $36M EDA Recompete grant and $4M outdoor recreation grants. Shares board, executive leadership, and tribal mission with WRDF — operating as a strategic delivery vehicle rather than a competing entity.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Wind River Development Fund