- Details
- By Tribal Business News Staff
- Health Care
The Native American Development Corp. has secured a $2 million low-interest loan from the Montana Facility Finance Authority to help finance a new $23 million health clinic in Billings, expanding the Native CDFI's growing health care operations.
The financing will support construction of a new clinic on the former Shrine Auditorium site, increasing clinical capacity, modernizing services and improving access to culturally responsive care for Native communities. The Montana Facility Finance Authority provides tax-exempt bond financing, low-interest loans and planning grants to nonprofit health care organizations across the state.
The Billings-based Native American Development Corp., founded in 1996, is one of Indian Country's oldest Native community development financial institutions. While best known for business lending, technical assistance and economic development initiatives, the organization entered health care in 2018 by opening the Billings Urban Indian Health and Wellness Center after another Indian-focused clinic in the city closed.
The new facility represents the next phase of that expansion, with NADC CEO Leonard Smith calling the financing an important milestone in a project years in the making.
The clinic is expected to expand primary and behavioral health services while increasing patient capacity and improving access for Native residents in Billings and surrounding communities, including members of the nearby Crow Reservation.
The project reflects a broader trend of Native organizations investing in health care infrastructure as they expand services and seek more diversified, sustainable revenue streams beyond traditional grant funding.
