Welcome
to the yellowbird fellowship
HONORING ELOISE COBELL
Eloise Cobell, known as Yellowbird Woman in her Blackfeet tradition, was one of the founders of the Native CDFI industry and a fierce advocate for Native people everywhere. In her honor, the Yellowbird Fellowship carries her name as we continue building capacity within the finance and lending sector across Indian Country.
WHAT WE'RE ALL ABOUT
Yellowbird Fellowship is a transformative professional development experience aimed at empowering Native leaders and advancing the future of the Native Community Development Financial Institution (Native CDFI) sector. This nine-month fellowship equips participants with the skills, connections, and resources needed to drive meaningful change in their communities.
Developing Next Generation Leaders Developing Next Generation Leaders
Developing Next Generation Leaders 
Developing Next Generation Leaders
2026-27 Cohort
The Yellowbird Fellowship provides a unique leadership development experience for individuals committed to community impact. Fellows engage in hands-on learning, mentorship, and collaborative projects that strengthen their ability to create sustainable change. The fellowship is designed to be accessible, offering place-based opportunities for tribal members of all backgrounds, with a special emphasis on empowering Native women. The learning structure delivers a mix of in-person and virtual sessions designed to foster relationship-building and knowledge-sharing.
If you are passionate about making positive changes within your own Native community and across Indian Country, the Yellowbird Fellowship could be a great opportunity! We encourage tribal members who are interested in becoming a Native CDFI lending officer to apply.
Students
Business Majors
Social Work Majors
Those Seeking Community-Centered Careers
Upon completion of the fellowship, participants will have a deeper understanding of community development lending and will be able to explore, pursue, or continue current employment opportunities within the Native CDFI sector. Fellows will receive smart badges after the completion of each course to recognize their skills and achievements.
Learners will gain a well-rounded understanding of history, credit concepts, and Native CDFI operations. This foundational course is designed to equip learners with the skills to become a Loan Intake Specialist and contextualize the concepts of finance from within culturally-grounded resources, to deepen understanding of the unique role Native CDFIs play in advancing Native community development.
Learners will gain the foundation for a deeper exploration of underwriting and specific types of Native CDFI lending in subsequent courses. This course explores students’ own experience as borrowers and reviews an actual loan scenario through the eyes of experienced Native lenders. It will explore loan policies and procedures, the lending process, loan servicing and collections, essential information, and loan products tailored to the markets that Native CDFIs serve.
Building on the Introduction to Native CDFI Lending taught in the fall, this course examines the concepts of underwriting and risk. Learners will cover the three financial tools that lenders use to make loan decisions: the Balance Sheet, Income Statement, and cash flow. This course will also delve deeper into topics such as key ratios, projections, amortization schedules, character lending, and examining the role of business plans and lending rubrics in underwriting. Students will then apply this knowledge by evaluating a loan application scenario.
This course focuses on the specific types of loans that Native CDFIs are delivering to meet community needs. Learners will hear from colleagues in the field who are working with different types of loans, including credit builder and consumer loans, business loans, agricultural loans, homeownership and mortgage loans, as well as home improvement and clean energy loans. They then look at two different loan structures: partnership and guaranteed loans. The course will conclude by returning to the original loan scenario, applying the knowledge and insights gained, and engaging with the questions and advice of experienced lenders.
Applications Open: May 1, 2026
Application Deadline: June 19, 2026
Cohort Start: August 2026
Cohort End: June 2027
2026-27 Cohort
The Yellowbird Fellowship provides a unique leadership development experience for individuals committed to community impact. Fellows engage in hands-on learning, mentorship, and collaborative projects that strengthen their ability to create sustainable change. The fellowship is designed to be accessible, offering place-based opportunities for tribal members of all backgrounds, with a special emphasis on empowering Native women. The learning structure delivers a mix of in-person and virtual sessions designed to foster relationship-building and knowledge-sharing.
If you are passionate about making positive changes within your own Native community and across Indian Country, the Yellowbird Fellowship could be a great opportunity! We encourage tribal members who are interested in becoming a Native CDFI lending officer to apply.
Students
Business Majors
Social Work Majors
Those Seeking Community-Centered Careers
Upon completion of the fellowship, participants will have a deeper understanding of community development lending and will be able to explore, pursue, or continue current employment opportunities within the Native CDFI sector. Fellows will receive smart badges after the completion of each course to recognize their skills and achievements.
Learners will gain a well-rounded understanding of history, credit concepts, and Native CDFI operations. This foundational course is designed to equip learners with the skills to become a Loan Intake Specialist and contextualize the concepts of finance from within culturally-grounded resources, to deepen understanding of the unique role Native CDFIs play in advancing Native community development.
Learners will gain the foundation for a deeper exploration of underwriting and specific types of Native CDFI lending in subsequent courses. This course explores students’ own experience as borrowers and reviews an actual loan scenario through the eyes of experienced Native lenders. It will explore loan policies and procedures, the lending process, loan servicing and collections, essential information, and loan products tailored to the markets that Native CDFIs serve.
Building on the Introduction to Native CDFI Lending taught in the fall, this course examines the concepts of underwriting and risk. Learners will cover the three financial tools that lenders use to make loan decisions: the Balance Sheet, Income Statement, and cash flow. This course will also delve deeper into topics such as key ratios, projections, amortization schedules, character lending, and examining the role of business plans and lending rubrics in underwriting. Students will then apply this knowledge by evaluating a loan application scenario.
This course focuses on the specific types of loans that Native CDFIs are delivering to meet community needs. Learners will hear from colleagues in the field who are working with different types of loans, including credit builder and consumer loans, business loans, agricultural loans, homeownership and mortgage loans, as well as home improvement and clean energy loans. They then look at two different loan structures: partnership and guaranteed loans. The course will conclude by returning to the original loan scenario, applying the knowledge and insights gained, and engaging with the questions and advice of experienced lenders.
Applications Open: May 1, 2026
Application Deadline: June 19, 2026
Cohort Start: August 2026
Cohort End: June 2027
Your Journey Starts Here
Why Apply?
Culturally grounded leadership development
Mentorship from experienced practitioners
No cost for tuition
Building a Native CDFI Workforce
Growth Opportunities Along the Native CDFI Career Path
Building a Native CDFI Workforce
Growth Opportunities Along the Native CDFI Career Path
K-8
HIGH SCHOOL
VOCATIONAL & COLLEGE
ENTRY-LEVEL EMPLOYMENT
FULL-TIME CAREER
LEADERSHIP POSITION
RETIREMENT
K-8
HIGH SCHOOL
VOCATIONAL & COLLEGE
ENTRY-LEVEL EMPLOYMENT
FULL-TIME CAREER
LEADERSHIP POSITION
RETIREMENT
The Yellowbird Fellowship is an engaging leadership development experience where participants learn from experienced professionals in the Native CDFI sector about community development and economic empowerment. Fellows interact in a collaborative environment to create sustainable, community-led solutions, foster culturally-grounded leadership, and build skills around community-centered lending.
PARTNERS
The Yellowbird Fellowship was developed by NACDC Financial Services, a Native CDFI located on the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana. The program was developed as part of the Mountain | Plains Regional Native CDFI Coalition’s five-year Build Back Better award.
MORE PARTNERS
LATEST NEWS
[click to open]
Newsletter: First In-Person Convening
Newsletter: First Cohort Announcement
Newsletter: Mentors Announcement
Newsletter: Second In-Person Convening
Newsletter: Third In-Person Convening
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