Join us on Wednesday, April 30, at the Intertribal Friendship House in Oakland, CA, for a day of connection and knowledge sharing. The day includes: ✨ Direct access to capital providers ✨ How to get the right type of funding for your business ✨ Connecting with other Native entrepreneurs over breakfast and lunch (catered by Wahpepah’s Kitchen).
event recap
Where to find the MDF team this 2025 spring conference season
Many of our team are on the spring conference circuit. If you see us, be sure to say hi!
Milken Institute 2025 Finance Forum
Mission Driven Finance® Co-founder and Chief Community Officer Lauren Grattan spoke on a panel at the Milken Institute 2025 Finance Forum with Samantha Berg (Next Street), Kim Folsom (Founders First Capital Partners), and Shaolee Sen (JPMorganChase)—moderated by Troy Duffie—about meeting small business owners where they are at, providing right-sized support at the right time.
Asset Funders Network webinar: Investing in Home-Based Childcare Entrepreneurs to Stabilize Their Businesses, Expand Childcare, and Build Wealth Through Homeownership
Asset Funders Network held a webinar about innovative work happening to address asset building for home-based childcare entrepreneurs. The panel explored main barriers these entrepreneurs are facing; ways groups are attempting to remove those barriers; policy opportunities to create systemic change; and ways philanthropy can be supportive.
Investing in Impact Podcast: Bridging Capital Gaps for Local Economies
In this episode of Investing in Impact, Grant Trahant speaks with David Lynn on how Mission Driven Finance focuses on closing capital gaps and catalyzing economic opportunities in underserved communities.
Where to find the MDF team this 2024 conference season
Many of our team will be on the fall conference circuit again. If you see us, be sure to say hi!
9th Annual Native CDFI Capital Access Convening
Co-founder Chief Community Officer Lauren Grattan and Senior Director of Indigenous Futures Ted Piccolo recently spoke at the 9th Annual Native CDFI Capital Access Convening.
RevHubOC: Women in Impact Investing
Chief Community Officer Lauren Grattan spoke at RevHubOC’s inaugural Women in Impact Investing event.
Milken Global: Exploring Alternative Funding Models for Small Business
Chief Community Officer Lauren Grattan spoke at Milken Global about creating access to capital for underestimated entrepreneurs.
Introducing the Indigenous Futures Fund at the White House
We were at the White House to share about our new Indigenous Futures Fund—designed to accelerate the flow of capital to Native entrepreneurs and Tribal enterprises.
Supporting diverse emerging fund managers
Lauren Grattan spoke on an Impact Finance Center and Boston Impact Initiative panel on how backbone organizations like Common Future and Mission Driven Finance are driving diversity, equity, and inclusion in the world of emerging managers.
World Education Services inaugural investee partner gathering ahead of SOCAP23
Ahead of SOCAP23, World Education Services brought together partners to forge trust, nurture relationships, share expertise, and gather insights on how we can collectively influence the field.
David Lynn on employee ownership at Impact Investor Summit
CEO David Lynn and co-panelists shared insights about employee ownership at New Private Markets’ Impact Investor Summit: North America.
Impact(ed) podcast: Foundations with Essma Bengabsia
Essma Bengabsia (The Annie E. Casey Foundation) talks about the untapped power and potential of philanthropy’s approach to investing, as well as how her community and identities have led her to be an impact investor at a $3 billion foundation.
Native Women Lead & The Future is Indigenous Women’s Inaugural Growth Capital Summit 2023
Lauren Grattan spoke at Native Women Lead & The Future is Indigenous Women’s Inaugural Growth Capital Summit, where over 120 Native women entrepreneurs, investors, and mentors gathered for three days of connection.
Where to find the MDF team this 2023 conference season
Many of our team will be on the fall conference circuit again. If you see us, be sure to say hi!
Collaboration to Catalyze Impact
Impact Charitable and Mission Driven Finance discussed how charitable capital can accelerate impact for community-rooted funds. See how this partnership can make capital more accessible.
Letters from Lauren: May 2023
We wrote this North Star into the company theory of change: “Financial systems that perpetuate poverty are flipped to systems that eradicate it.” Systems change sounds really cool, but admittedly can be hard to picture. It is thrilling to see it coming into clearer focus, hopefully for you too.