Interview by David Meyers and Kim Bonine for the 4Nature Podcast with Samantha Power, regenerative economist and co-founder of the BioFi Project

Season 3 Episode 1 "Rewilding Our Money: How Bioregions Are Growing Regenerative Economies from the Ground Up" 

“We were applying the same structures that deepen inequality to try to solve the ecological crisis. That doesn’t work.”

David Meyers: Samantha, thanks for joining us. Can you start by telling us a bit about your background and what led you to focus on bioregional finance?

Samantha Power: Absolutely, and thank you for having me. My journey began after college when I was living in Southeast Asia. I fell in love with the rainforest—and simultaneously saw it being devastated by palm oil and extractive industries. What struck me even more was the lack of response from finance and government. That’s what launched my inquiry into how we can move financial flows to be in service to life.

I’m trained as an economist, with both undergraduate and graduate studies in economics. I worked at the World Bank for over five years, helping shape the nature finance agenda. I collaborated with ministries of finance and central banks to address how biosphere degradation poses risks to our economic systems. Eventually, I shifted focus to work with smaller investors and family offices exploring nature-based investment.

David Meyers: You've now moved toward something really exciting—Bioregional Financing Facilities. What are they, and how are they different from traditional finance models?

Samantha Power: We launched the book Bioregional Financing Facilities: Reimagining Finance to Regenerate Our Planet on the solstice, summarizing the theory of change I developed through that earlier work. At its core, the concept challenges the status quo. Too often, we apply financial structures that deepen inequality to problems like ecological collapse. That doesn’t work.

Bioregional financing facilities—or BFFs—are designed to decentralize resource governance. They empower communities directly connected to the land and waters they steward. These communities have a kind of collective intelligence we need if we want to allocate capital effectively.

We propose four types of facilities—Bioregional Trusts, Venture Studios, Investment Companies, and Bioregional Banks. These are tailored financial tools that support portfolios of regenerative projects in a specific landscape or watershed, not just isolated efforts.

Kim Bonine: How do these facilities interact with existing governance—cities, counties, even states?

Samantha Power: That’s such a timely question. There’s growing uncertainty around the future of federal climate programs, and it’s pushing communities to think more locally. Bioregional organizing teams often emerge from grassroots or Indigenous-led efforts. They can work with subnational governments to implement regeneration strategies.

One barrier is that while national funding exists, many communities lack the administrative capacity or legal structure to access it. BFFs act as connective tissue—linking available funds to regenerative projects that need them, and aligning efforts across time horizons of 20, 50, even 100 years.

Kim Bonine: In areas with very different perspectives—like Indigenous groups, ranchers, and progressive conservationists—how do you build alignment?

Samantha Power: Trust is foundational. Many people agree on a long-term vision—restored salmon runs, healthy watersheds—but differ on immediate priorities. Short time horizons often lead to scarcity thinking. Community building, shared volunteer efforts, and citizens' assemblies create space for mutual understanding. Once there’s a shared big picture, it's easier to align on first steps.

David Meyers: Bioregionalism has been around for decades. How does your model shift it from philosophy into practice?

Samantha Power: Bioregionalism, deeply aligned with Indigenous worldviews, emerged as a movement in the ‘70s and ‘80s. It eventually lost momentum—largely due to a lack of economic power. We aim to change that.

Inspired by Buckminster Fuller’s idea that you build new systems rather than fight old ones, we’re creating financial institutions that align with living systems principles and Indigenous wisdom. We’re integrating everything from ecological science to decentralized governance.

David Meyers: Can you walk us through the four types of BFFs?

Samantha Power: Sure. First is the Bioregional Trust, a grant facility that might use innovative governance like DAOs (decentralized autonomous organizations). These trusts often use “flow funds,” meaning resources are distributed by collective decision-making.

Second, the Bioregional Venture Studio incubates entrepreneurs working on system-level transformation—like Indigenous-led food and medicine enterprises.

Third, the Bioregional Investment Company helps scale investment into regenerative initiatives, guided by a “four returns” framework: inspiration, ecological, social, and financial returns.

Finally, the Bioregional Bank is modeled after community development financial institutions (CDFIs). These can provide loans, technical assistance, and even support local currencies or value systems that reflect the bioregion’s priorities.

Kim Bonine: That’s fascinating. How do BFFs help communities rethink prosperity beyond GDP?

Samantha Power: One of the first steps in BFF design is mapping community assets—relational, ecological, cultural. When communities name and value what they want to grow and protect, the entire approach to wealth shifts.

Many investors are realizing that their wealth is just “optionality tokens”—and on a dead planet, those tokens don’t mean much. BFFs are catalyzing a needed worldview shift.

David Meyers: What part of this work do you think will most shift how people understand financial flows?

Samantha Power: It's emergent—but I believe the process of co-creating these facilities empowers communities and humbles funders. It brings them into relationship. That shift from “othering” to collective stewardship is powerful.

Kim Bonine: Can bioregional economies still engage in global trade?

Samantha Power: Absolutely. Bioregions should build sovereignty—especially in food, water, and medicine—but still engage in non-extractive, reciprocal trade. We need to reimagine trade so it doesn’t externalize harm. For example, Indigenous communities in the Amazon could sell regeneratively produced goods or even ecosystem stewardship credits. They’re caring for a biome the entire planet depends on.

David Meyers: Samantha, this has been a remarkable conversation. Thank you for sharing your vision.

Samantha Power: Thank you both—it’s been a joy. Let’s keep exploring how we do this work together.

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