R3.0 hosted the tenth Bioregional Open Dialogue on April 20, bringing together innovative leaders working at the intersection of Indigenous sovereignty and regenerative finance. The two-hour session examined how financial resources can flow alongside natural and biocultural capital across Turtle Island, recognizing that sustainable bioregional development requires equitable funding mechanisms rooted in Indigenous leadership and values.
Alexander Sterling, Founding CEO of Turtle Island Community Capital, opened the dialogue by addressing a critical gap in financing for Indigenous communities east of the Mississippi River. Sterling discussed how his organization is expanding access to capital for Indigenous entrepreneurs and community development projects. He emphasized that strengthening Indigenous community-building directly supports broader bioregional vitality, connecting economic resilience with ecological health.
The Pacific Northwest perspective came from Cheryl Chen and Donna Morton of Salmon Returns, who shared insights from their work in Salmon Nation. The organization presented its innovative Headwaters Fund, a blended capital model that combines diverse funding sources to support projects aligned with salmon restoration and Indigenous sovereignty. Participants learned about the Salmon Biocultural Credit, a mechanism designed to value and compensate the biocultural stewardship that Indigenous nations have practiced for generations.
Syd Harvey Griffith, Executive Director of Kinship Earth, explored flow funding models and their application across bioregions. Griffith detailed how flow funding distributes resources through networks rather than traditional hierarchical structures, enabling money to move as fluidly as water and nutrients through an ecosystem. She illustrated how this approach is being implemented in both Cascadia and the Northeast Woodlands, creating pathways for communities to access capital while maintaining bioregional and cultural integrity.
The second half of the session engaged all participants in facilitated dialogue, allowing attendees to deepen their understanding of these models and explore how similar approaches might be adapted within their own communities. The discussion underscored that regenerative finance must center Indigenous knowledge systems and sovereignty to achieve lasting environmental and economic outcomes. Future Bioregional Open Dialogues will continue building on these conversations as the movement works to scale equitable funding mechanisms across North America.