Our Impact

Nusenda began the Brown Paper Microloan Program in 2023, in the long wake of the pandemic – a time of reflection, reckoning, and rebuilding. Like many things born in that period, this project took on a life of its own. What started as a documentation effort evolved into something deeper: a story about values, vision, and the people who dared to do things differently. We are proud to be a part of it and finally share it. 

We chose to call this program “Brown Paper” because it reflects our desire to decolonize the format of traditional research; to move away from sterile white papers and toward something rooted in lived experience, community accountability, and grounded insight. This document centers the perspectives of those who co-created and implemented the microloan model, including the partner organizations that work directly with borrowers. It honors both data and story as valid and necessary forms of knowledge.

This Brown Paper Report employs a collaborative research approach. We conducted interviews with Nusenda staff and with four of the Microloan Program’s core partner organizations—Partnership for Community Action, Native Women Lead, South Valley Economic Development Center, and Three Sisters Kitchen. Themes and insights from these interviews shaped the structure, findings, and recommendations in this report.

Read the full report here!