Matriarch Revolutionary Fund
What is the fund’s focus?
The Matriarch Revolutionary Fund (MRF) is the first social impact integrated capital investment fund that is led and managed by and for Indigenous women across the United States. Their investment products are designed to support businesses that have strong female leadership, promote gender diversity and equality, and provide opportunities for Indigenous women to advance their businesses.
The intent of the MRF is to support and invest in the development and growth of established Indigenous women entrepreneurs by providing access to patient capital that builds restorative, regenerative, and resilient communities.
The JEDI lens and overall approach
The Matriarch Fund doesn’t distribute capital based on traditional credit scores or collateral, but rather on building new relationships with its recipients. To measure a borrower’s investability, MRF applies the 5 Rs of Rematriation as the primary values and underwriting framework of credit i.e Relational, Rooted, Restorative, Regenerative and Revolutionary. By doing so, MRF has been able to avoid the exclusion and assumption of Indigenous women as being too risky for investment.
MRF’s investment approach and the portfolio companies they support embody Indigenous principles that honour and inherently foreground climate justice through their business design, buying, intent, operations, and impact whether directly or tangentially.
What is the 5 Rs of Rematriation framework?
This is an innovative underwriting and due diligence framework co-created by Native Women Lead and Roanhorse Consulting to meet the needs of Indigenous women and businesses in their communities throughout their entrepreneurial journey. It provides an alternative to the current exclusionary frameworks used by financial institutions that enhance racial and gender biases.
The decision-making process and power are spearheaded and intentionally protected for Indigenous women to mitigate racial and gender bias through a community decision committee that is guided by these values and criteria:
Relational: Are relationships and reciprocity enhanced and honored?
Rooted: Is the business rooted in indigenous values and need?
Restorative: Does the business help close racial wealth gaps?
Regenerative: Is there seventh generation impact?
Revolutionary: Is the business changing or solving a problem?
What is the overall impact?
Beyond the financial support, MRF’s objective is to empower Indigenous women leaders to grow their businesses, communities and environment with values-aligned capital. The structure of the MRF centres Indigenous women to be the decision-makers through its governance model that utilises the 5 R’s and ensures Indigenous women are leading and caretaking the process for decision making on who receives the support and what particular wrap-around supports are needed to come alongside these women founders appropriately and thoughtfully. They address the inherent racial and gender bias experienced when seeking to activate capital by centring lived experience, so that power ownership and control sit in the hands of those most impacted.
Snapshot
Name: Matriarch Revolutionary Fund
Investment type: Integrated capital investment fund
Focus: $50,000-$250,000 loans with a 3-5% interest rate
Sectors: Established / Native-owned businesses / Women-owned businesses
Operates in: United States