New AI platform helps tribes find funding sources, apply for needed grants, loans
Bazile Panek knows he helped do some good when he sees a tribal representative’s sigh of relief after using a new software platform that employs artificial intelligence to find funding opportunities.
“This is going to do great things for Indian Country,” he said.
Panek is the tribal liaison for the company behind the startup AI platform called Syncurrent.
A member of the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe, Panek saw firsthand the need for services and investment on the reservation in far northern Wisconsin where he was born and raised.
Syncurrent uses AI to quickly gather data from hundreds, even thousands, of websites to find the exact grant, loan or other funding opportunity from federal, state and philanthropic sources that is needed for particular projects and provides information about what’s needed to apply.
What used to take hours or days by hand now can take minutes with Syncurrent.
“I hear from so many people who spend more time trying to find grants than actually doing their jobs,” Panek said.
Syncurrent was recently tested by officials for the White Earth Ojibwe Nation in Minnesota.
“The platform's simplicity has allowed us to identify and collaborate on critical funding to meet our community's needs,” said Eugene Sommers, an official for the tribe.
More than a trillion dollars in funding opportunities are available to tribal, local and state governments every year from the federal government, but navigating the process to apply for the funds can be overwhelmingly complex, especially for small staffs.
Syncurrent is the brainchild of technology expert Dhruv Patel and Matthew Jaquez.
The platform’s basic plan is free for governments to use; its premium plan is $49 per month per department.
Panek is a longtime colleague of Patel and had urged him to consider the needs of tribal nations early in the development of Syncurrent.
The company recently announced a partnership with the U.S. Department of Interior and the nonprofit Native CDFI Network to make Syncurrent premium free for all tribal nations for 10 years.
“Supporting Tribal Nations is and always will be a main priority for Syncurrent,” said Patel in a statement. “Through our efforts, we’re taking a group of people that have always been pushed to the back of the line and moving them all the way to the front.”
In 2024, Congress approved $32.6 billion in funding to benefit tribal communities, but much of that money may not be reaching them, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office.
For example, the USDA invested about $6.6 billion to support rural development between 2017 and 2021, but only about $138 million went to tribal communities.
The government department’s report blames the red tape and paperwork in finding and applying for funding as a major part of the problem.
“Tribal Nations have long faced systemic barriers to accessing capital and securing their fair share of federal, state, and philanthropic dollars,” said Pete Upton, CEO of Native CDFI Network, in a statement. "Syncurrent’s AI technology will enable tribal governments to identify and secure critical funding much more quickly, efficiently, and effectively, empowering them to build stronger, healthier, and more prosperous communities."
Syncurrent can currently be accessed for free by tribal governments through its website, Syncurrent.com.
Frank Vaisvilas is a former Report for America corps member who covers Native American issues in Wisconsin based at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Contact him at fvaisvilas@gannett.com or 815-260-2262. Follow him on Twitter at @vaisvilas_frank.