Minnesota Indigenous Arts Center Empowers Local Community with Help of CDFI Loan
Client: Indigenous Roots
Client Location: St. Paul, MN
CDFI: Propel Nonprofits
CDFI Service Area: Minnesota and the surrounding region
Lending, financing, consulting, training, and accounting for nonprofits
Indigenous Roots Cultural Art Center on the East Side of St. Paul, Minnesota, provides space and programming to promote and practice holistic well-being through Indigenous arts, culture, and tradition. The building features offices, a café, an event center, a healing space, a quinceañera dress shop, and a store for Indigenous business owners to sell their merchandise. Serving over 10,000 people every year, the center has grown to become a pillar of community development.
Mary Anne Ligeralde Quiroz and her life partner Sergio Cenoch co-founded Indigenous Roots in 2015 and continue to co-direct it today. Prior to launching Indigenous Roots, Mary Anne spent 15 years volunteering as a community organizer and fundraiser in the neighborhood where she and Sergio grew up. When the women in her life made her see that she could pursue those passions professionally, she and Sergio formed a dance group in their neighborhood. The excitement and connections formed around Indigenous dance and rituals compelled them to continue to create space for arts, culture, and expression in the East Side neighborhood.
“I didn’t wake up one day thinking I needed to start another nonprofit, but I did know we were doing what we loved to do, and we needed to create more space,” Mary Anne said.
Local CDFI Sponsors Indigenous Roots
Once Indigenous Roots Cultural Arts Center opened its brick-and-mortar space in 2017, it became a hub for artists, cultural groups, and organizations dedicated to building, supporting, and cultivating opportunities for Native, Black, Brown and Indigenous people.
When the center eventually found its roof in need of repair, they turned to Propel Nonprofits for support. A local community development financial institution (CDFI), Propel serves the state of Minnesota and the surrounding region, providing lending, financing, consulting, training, and accounting for nonprofit organizations. Having also served as Indigenous Roots’ fiscal sponsor, Propel provided Mary Anne and Sergio with a Recovery Capital Loan to fix the center’s roof.
“A roof is an instrumental part of a building that houses so many beautiful programs. We were grateful to get to partner with them with this loan,” said Allison Wagstrom, Senior Loan Officer & Financial Specialist at Propel.
Propel’s Recovery Capital Loan focused on nonprofit organizations led by people from BIPOC groups, providing technical assistance to help recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and civil unrest following George Floyd’s murder. In total, Propel deployed 33 of these loans between 2021-2023.
In addition, the National Endowment for the Arts recently awarded a grant to Indigenous Roots, and the Ford and McKnight Foundations named the organization one of 10 Regional Cultural Treasures.
Today, over 100 artists and groups have access to the center and help maintain it. Mary Anne says she feels that she is building wealth and connecting with what her ancestors are willing her to do.
“We only get one shot at life, and I want people to show up as their full selves or take the time to reconnect with who that is,” Mary Anne said.
Community Service Providers Thrive Thanks to CDFIs
Nonprofits and small businesses that facilitate artistic and cultural expression are crucial to community development. Unfortunately, securing financing can be difficult for many social entrepreneurs, specifically entrepreneurs of color.
Without the experience, cash flow, credit, or equity, many people get denied by traditional banks, often leaving nonprofit leaders and small business owners at the mercy of predatory lenders and high-cost financing.
CDFIs provide safe, responsible options for borrowers that traditional banks do not reach and often have missions that align with those they’re serving. In addition, they also offer technical assistance and professional development tools to help small businesses and local community service providers grow and succeed. In 2021, certified CDFIs had more than $25 billion small business loans and microloans in their portfolios.
To read other stories about thriving small businesses and community service providers funded by CDFIs, visit OFN’s impact stories page.
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