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- By Chez Oxendine
- Energy | Environment
WAYLAND, Michigan — Federal funding cuts have stalled hundreds of clean energy projects across the United States, freezing billions of dollars in potential power generation and economic development. A significant portion of those halted projects are on tribal lands, disrupting a burgeoning clean energy transition for Native communities.
In response, Parker, Ariz.-based Huurav Energy, the first Native-owned financing initiative of its kind, will launch in the coming weeks to connect investors, philanthropic capital and green banks with stalled tribal energy projects. The company will also offer short-term bridge loans and technical support to help tribes move developments from planning to operation. The initiative was announced Tuesday during an interview with Hurrav’s founder and CEO at the 2025 Great Lakes Tribal Economic Summit at the newly expanded Gun Lake Casino Resort.
“Every day these projects sit idle, costs rise and opportunities disappear,” said David Harper, founder and chief executive of Huurav Energy and a member of the Colorado River Indian Tribes and of Mohave descent, who brings nearly 15 years of tribal energy experience. “Tribes have some of the best renewable resources in the nation, but without financing, those resources remain untapped.”
The company will be established on allotted land on the Colorado River Indian Reservation in Arizona. Harper said the name “Huurav” comes from his tribe’s language, referring to the energy that creates thunder and lightning.
Recent cuts — including those to the Inflation Reduction Act and the Environmental Protection Agency's cancellation of the Solar for All program — have left hundreds of tribal projects stranded nationwide. During his interview at the summit, Harper said the cuts removed critical resources for projects already in motion.
“Tribes bought into it, looking at workforce development, looking at all these things that were going to happen, and then the money was clawed back,” Harper said. “They already did the feasibility studies, they already did all the stuff that was needed, even got the contract, even got the money, but then it stopped.”
Huurav is modeled after the Small Business Administration’s Mentor-Protégé Program, pairing tribal, financial and technical experts to help tribes navigate diverse funding sources, Harper said. The company’s approach includes building capital stacks from multiple contributors, reducing reliance on a single source and lowering investor risk.
“Most tribes don’t all need a billion dollars. They don’t need the $500 million. Some of them just need $2 million to bridge the gap, to keep the project moving,” Harper said. “Some of the tribes really looked at this as a socioeconomic way of lifting their people … lifting them out of the poverty level, lifting them into these jobs.”
Initiatives like Huurav’s can help alleviate instability in federal funding or address trouble accessing traditional capital due to high interest rates or issues with Native land law, said Ramon Marquez, founder of Oklahoma-based cultural advisors Tepwe Consultants.
“This is why a Native-owned and Native-serving lending vehicle like Huurav Energy is critical. By leveraging philanthropic lenders and impact investors to provide low-interest financing directly to Tribes, this fund fills a long-standing gap that has stalled too many projects,” Marquez said in a statement to Tribal Business News. “We need solutions designed by and for Native communities, and Huurav Energy represents exactly that.”
Benjamin John, business officer for the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe, wrote in a statement that bridge financing can help de-risk tribal energy projects for potential financiers. Volatile federal support can stymie investor enthusiasm, so stabilizing funding like Huurav can counterbalance that risk, John said.
The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, which is planning an ambitious portfolio of energy transition projects, sees Native-owned financing companies like Huurav as critical to maintaining tribal ownership and control of energy infrastructure, according to Cathy Ehli, general manager of Warm Springs Power & Water Enterprises.
Some tribes, like the Yakama Nation, use state and federal funding programs that require tribes to spend their own money upfront and then seek reimbursement, creating a need for interim financing to cover construction costs.
"The access to capital that initiatives like Huurav will provide for tribes and tribal utilities is absolutely critical to timely construction, preserving project economics and avoiding costly delays," said Ray Wiseman, general manager of Yakama Power.
Huurav’s initial pipeline includes 22 projects identified with tribal energy leaders and engineering partners, Harper said during an interview at the tribal economic summit. The developments range from community microgrids to utility-scale renewable installations, all in need of immediate capital access.
The need for such bridge financing became apparent to Harper through his work at 7Skyline, a Portland, Ore.-based clean energy consulting firm. Earlier this year, he helped arrange emergency funding for the Guidiville Rancheria after federal agencies froze the tribe's $3.55 million energy grant mid-construction. Philanthropic lenders including the BQuest Foundation provided roughly $1 million in bridge financing to prevent the solar microgrid project from stalling completely.
Beyond financing, Huurav intends to help tribes strengthen project proposals and execution. Harper said the team will review each request for bridge funding to determine whether technical improvements can increase viability.
“We’re going to look at these projects and maybe even sharpen the project a little bit more with the expert people that we have working with us,” Harper said. “Can we scale it up? Can we create a better project? Can we improve what the tribe is presenting to us?”
The loans will be low-interest and designed for quick repayment once longer-term financing is secured. Harper emphasized that the focus is on projects already underway, those with feasibility studies completed, grant applications submitted and initial work begun before funding was withdrawn.
“If you’ve already started your project … and it stopped, that’s where we want to come in to help you,” Harper said. “I promised my tribal members we were going to have jobs. I promised my tribal members we were going to have energy for our people, our elders. And now I need to find a way to really bridge that gap.”
Huurav has secured commitments from initial funding partners, and is finalizing operational details ahead of its launch. Harper said the goal is to respond quickly when tribes request assistance, given the financial losses that can accrue daily when projects are stalled.
“We want to help people as quickly as possible and make sure that we have these funds accessible as best as we can,” Harper said. “We’re in conversations with multiple investors and philanthropies and the interest has been extremely encouraging.”
Brian Edwards contributed reporting.
