In addition to the direct technical and professional assistance MPCDC has provided over our first 24 months of operations, we’ve designed, launched, and funded an array of programs that support Coalition members in building capacity on their own terms. These programs represent over $3.02 million in direct financial support to members, along with MPCDC’s ongoing sponsorship of services provided through a network of independent professional partners. Each program has been designed to work effectively across the Coalition’s five projects under the EDA’s Build Back Better grant.
Each program component has a different focus and level of member involvement, but every Coalition member has participated in and benefited from a unique combination of MPCDC’s support and offerings. These programs were designed to enable the success of all four of the other EDA Build Back Better projects the Coalition has currently undertaken. MPCDC coordinates and funds the buildout of CRM systems across the Coalition, and, in partnership with Sweetgrass, collects the impact data that underpins storytelling initiatives (Project 1). MPCDC staff remain actively involved in the development of the Yellowbird Fellowship program (Project 2), and have also provided financial support to its curriculum development partners. Across multiple phases of the Crow Nation Innovation Center (Project 4), MPCDC has provided substantial legal review as well as pre-construction funds to Coalition members working to codify best practices, build industry capacity, and enact future construction projects. Lastly, the bridge-loans that MPCDC has made to half of our members have been an essential component to enabling the participation of every member in the EDA regional revolving loan fund (Project 5).