Bioregion Rising: Strategies and Financing for Regenerating the Northeast

Greenwich, CT - July 18, 2025

"That was a real event. Thank you for hosting and holding the space for this powerful conversation. All of the forums I have had the privilege of attending are first rate, this one stood out. No neat endings. No action lists. No go-our-and-conquer vibe. Instead a reality check that felt like an invitation, like a welcome through an opening gate... we have work to do in the face of huge unknowns and today it felt like we were looking at them together." - Myra Klockenbrink, Greenwich Sustainability Committee

INTRODUCTION  

On July 18, the Northeast Woodlands Bioregioning Collective (the Collective) and Foundation House brought together community leaders to explore strategies and financing for regenerating the Northeastern Woodlands biocultural region.

The Collective's mission centers on regenerating land, water, and communities by supporting Indigenous resurgence in culture, knowledge, and governance while transforming human systems and cultural practices to be reciprocal with natural ones. Their work is guided by core values of respect, reciprocity, responsibility, collaboration, and a commitment to rebuilding right relations with the Indigenous co-creators of this landscape.

This mission was powerfully embodied in the opening remarks that grounded attendees in the foundational truth that Indigenous communities remain present and active, even if not always visible. Drawing on Indigenous tribes' deep connections to land and water, it was emphasized that maintaining these place-based relationships is essential not just for cultural preservation, but for community resilience and identity. In other words, Indigenous value systems guide place-based regenerative practices. The remarks set the tone by reminding attendees that regeneration efforts must be rooted in authentic relationships with the land and with each other, setting the stage for understanding why new financial systems are needed.

Having launched into action with their vision just 10 months ago, Collective members provided a glimpse into the emerging story of bioregioning in the Northeast; unveiled their compelling preliminary co-governance structure with the Natôquhsunônak Inter-Tribal Alliance; presented a preview of their comprehensive project portfolio totaling over $150 million across interdependent sectors; and invited the audience to join them in "co-creating a world we will all be proud to leave to future generations.

IMPACT

Building on the call for authentic relationship with place, the morning's presentations revealed why conventional finance fails Indigenous and ecological communities. Traditional financial systems are designed for linear money flows and fixed goals, rooted in machine-like thinking that treats systems as predictable and controllable rather than recognizing the complex, living, evolving systems that communities depend on.

Attendees then explored a better financing framework through Bioregional Financing Facilities (BFFs), a paradigm shift that mimics nature by treating money as information and energy flowing through interconnected, adaptive, and self-organizing systems. This approach centers regeneration over extraction, embraces fractal structures rather than rigid hierarchies, and distributes resources like flows in natural systems. The "fractal finance" model honors the nested, relational structures described earlier, enabling multi-directional resource flows that strengthen rather than extract from place-based communities.

The Bioregional Project Portfolio showcase demonstrated how BFF principles translate into practice through four interconnected examples:

• The Center for Democratic and Environmental Rights exemplifies how legal and policy transformation creates enabling environments for regenerative approaches, moving beyond extractive frameworks toward Indigenous sovereignty and rights of nature.

• The BioBased Materials Collective shows fractal organizing in action. 500+ members are creating distributed supply chains that could reduce global emissions by 34-60% while strengthening local economies.

• The Alliance for the Mystic River Watershed demonstrates nested governance structures, with 400+ members managing watershed-level coordination that has already leveraged $27 million in regional applications.

• The Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation, alongside SeaMarron Farmstead Hemp Processing and Innovation Facility connects regenerative agriculture, workforce development, and cultural preservation through integrated housing solutions, thus embodying holistic systems thinking.

These projects are indicative of a much larger wave of demand for ontological and paradigmatic transformations reverberating through political, legal, and financial infrastructures of all our current material systems driving the demand for ecological restoration. Together, they illustrate how bioregional finance supports "portfolios of interdependence" rather than isolated initiatives, creating synergies across legal, ecological, social, and economic systems.

The morning culminated with an Indigenous perspectives panel that brought powerful voices to the conversation about what regeneration truly means. The panelists shared how traditional knowledge systems inform contemporary regenerative approaches, emphasizing the sacred relationships between people and place that must guide this work.

INITIATIVES

The event concluded with clear funding priorities and collaboration opportunities. The Northeast Woodlands Bioregioning Collective and Intertribal Alliance are seeking $5.4 million in philanthropic funding over three years. $1.1 million annually for the Collective and $700,000 for the Alliance, including a $250,000 Indigenous participation fund. This backbone funding will support the development of their Bioregional Financing Facility to channel resources to the full $150+ million project portfolio.

The Collective emphasized their commitment to "regenerative relationality"—combining Indigenous and non-Indigenous ways of knowing to create coherent collective action. The event established momentum for a fundamental shift from extractive finance to regenerative systems that center ecological and cultural restoration. With over $6.75 million already raised last year to support place-based regenerative initiatives and networks, the Collective demonstrated that bioregional finance is moving from concept to implementation.

For more details on the speakers and agenda, visit the event page.

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