Latest News
All the news that are relevant for our small community
CONTACT US
Oweesta Corporation
2432 Main Street, 1st Floor
Longmont, CO 80501
303.774.8838
info@oweesta.org
Oweesta is an equal opportunity employer and provider. We do not discriminate, learn more here: Title VI, Section 504.
ABOUT OWEESTA
Oweesta is the longest standing Native CDFI intermediary offering financial products and development services exclusively to Native CDFIs and Native communities. Specifically, Oweesta provides training, technical assistance, investments, research, and policy advocacy to help Native communities develop an integrated range of asset-building products and services, including financial education and financial products.
Asset-building tools stimulate reservation economies by providing tribal members the opportunity to acquire financial management skills and build and accumulate assets through small business creation, homeownership, education, and much more.
Filing Civil Rights Complaints
If you believe you have been subjected to discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, religion, or reprisal for prior civil rights activity, you have the right to file a complaint. Complaints may be filed directly with the Director, Office of Civil Rights and Equal Employment Opportunity, at the following address:
Director, Office of Civil Rights and Equal Employment Opportunity
Department of the Treasury
1500 Pennsylvania Ave, N.W.
Washington, DC 20220
Alternatively, complaints may be submitted via email to crcomplaints@treasury.gov.
STAY CONNECTED
Join our Newsletter
Rebuilding in Hawai’i
Oweesta Corporation Selected for the Community Navigator Initiative to Support Native Business Resiliency
Following a hub-and-spoke model, Oweesta and twenty-seven Native Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) partners will provide training and technical assistance to Native businesses and entrepreneurs thanks to a $5M U.S. Small Business Administration grant.
Longmont, CO – Oweesta has been awarded one of eight Tier-1 national grants of $5 million as part of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Community Navigator Pilot Program aimed at reaching small businesses for stronger economic recovery efforts. Following a hub-and-spoke model, Oweesta is partnering with twenty-seven Native Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) to serve Native businesses and entrepreneurs on reservations and urban environments across seventeen states.
Acting as a “hub,” Oweesta will serve as a centralized, lead organization and leverage our long-standing relationships with grassroots Native CDFIs as “spokes.” Oweesta will be partnering with the regional CDFI, MoFI, to provide training and peer-to-peer learning opportunities for Native CDFIs participating in the program. Through this model, government resources will be more effectively distributed to reach small business owners and entrepreneurs. Research shows that the amount of Native-owned business is scarce in today’s market due to structural barriers Native businesses and entrepreneurs face in business ownership and creation. Rooted within the communities, Native CDFIs are instrumental in reaching underserviced Native communities and providing culturally relevant, economic development services.
“The Biden-Harris Administration has prioritized building our small business ecosystems back better so that all of our entrepreneurs have a fair shot at achieving the American dream of business ownership,” said Administrator Guzman. “We need to meet businesses where they are with resources to start, grow and be resilient, and the Community Navigator Pilot Program will power a trusted network of community partners to connect America’s entrepreneurs with the SBA. The program’s Community Navigators will develop strong relationships with deeply trusted community-based organizations that will tap into one-on-one, targeted support from programs designed to help them create jobs and drive innovation.”
Through this grant, Oweesta and the twenty-seven Native CDFI spokes will provide additional business management training and technical assistance, including business planning, financial statement preparation, and marketing assistance. “Native CDFIs have long been the backbone of small business support in their communities. Oweesta is proud to partner with our Native CDFI partners, MoFI, and the Small Business Administration to increase access to technical assistance and training for Native entrepreneurs around the country,” said Chrystel Cornelius, CEO of the Oweesta Corporation.
Read the full SBA statement.
Use this interactive map to learn more about the Native CDFI Spokes.
Complete List of the 27 Native CDFI Spokes
Oweesta Presents our Campaign “When Money is Red”
In honor of Indigenous Peoples’ Day, Oweesta is launching a campaign called When Money is Red that will run on our social media platforms throughout the month of November for Native American Heritage Month.
When Money is Red is a campaign that envisions the possibilities of investing in Indian Country. We have witnessed firsthand in our role as a Native CDFI intermediary that when armed with the appropriate resources, Native peoples hold the capacity and ingenuity to ensure the sustainable, economic, spiritual and cultural well-being of their communities. The problem is Native people and issues continue to be invisible in the mainstream.
With this campaign, Oweesta will revisit the problematic history of wealth creation in this country, highlight the ongoing policy issues that keep Native people from fulfilling their economic destiny, and pose calls to action for policymakers, philanthropic institutions, and the general public alike to honor and celebrate our continued place in history and in this country.
We chose the name When Money is Red as a twist on the history of wealth creation across most of the developed world. Colonization brought on the genocide of First peoples and the destruction of culture and land, and modern-day policies and prejudices perpetuate those colonist practices. We will look to subvert the history of blood money in this country and build power towards economic justice for Indian Country.
This Native American Heritage Month, we want to make it clear: Indigenous people are not relics of the past; we are present, we persist, and we will recreate our futures. We can’t change the narrative alone. We invite you to join the movement:
In Solidarity,
Oweesta Corporation
Oweesta Releases Two Groundbreaking Reports on the Native CDFI Industry
Oweesta is thrilled to release two groundbreaking reports that provide an in-depth look at the Native CDFI industry. Both of these reports are part of our commitment to share best practices, key findings, and successful or promising models widely.
Our Native CDFI Financial and Lending Performance Report looks at the health of our lending portfolio and offers an insightful synopsis, backed by data, of the overall strength of investing in Indian Country. We plan to produce this report on a yearly basis as a tool for Native CDFIs to understand how their operations and financial performance sits in comparison with their peers, in order to guide decision-making at their organization. The report includes:
A special thanks to our partners and borrowers for sharing their borrower information on a quarterly basis, and to Northwest Area Foundation for sponsoring this report.
Oweesta’s study Opportunities and Challenges for Native CDFI Housing Lenders: Innovative Mortgage Lending Solutions in Native Communities provides an in-depth exploration of the housing market in Indian Country. Looking at surveys and data analysis, the report paints a clear picture of Native CDFI’s crucial role in developing the housing landscape on tribal trust lands and beyond. The report includes:
Oweesta is grateful to the many partners and contributors to this report and Freddie Mac for funding the research behind this report.
Oweesta Welcomes Fern Orie as Chief Programs Officer and Executive Vice President of Advocacy & Strategic Partnerships
“I’m excited to join Oweesta after working in partnership with them at the Wisconsin Native Loan Fund all of these years. Leading the Wisconsin Native Loan Fund, I experienced how Native CDFIs are agents of change and are the most powerful resources to help communities thrive. It is an honor to now support the broader Native CDFI movement on a national level,” said Fern Orie.
Orie brings 20 years of experience working in the Native housing and community development industry. She recently served as the founding CEO of the Wisconsin Native Loan Fund (WINLF) for the past fourteen years, where she established a statewide housing Native Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) providing housing, consumer, and business loans to tribal members on all eleven Wisconsin Indian Reservations. Since 2015 she has served as the founding Chairwoman of the Wisconsin Indian Business Alliance, a unique collaboration of the four Native CDFIs of Wisconsin. Additionally, Orie serves on the Board of Directors as the Vice Chairwoman of the national organization, the Native CDFI Network.
“Oweesta is excited to have Fern join the team at a time when Native CDFIs are increasingly becoming vital lifelines for financial recovery of their communities,” said Chrystel Cornelius, CEO and President of Oweesta. “Fern has been a fierce champion of the Native CDFI industry for decades; we are confident her experience and passion will help carry Oweesta forward as we work to drive $100M of capital into Native communities by 2030.”
Orie is a strong advocate for the cultural and economic prosperity of Native people in her home state of Wisconsin and has served as an ambassador of Indian Country at the national levels. She was appointed by the Governor to the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation’s Entrepreneurship and Innovation Committee, and the Governor’s Council on Financial Literacy and Capability. She also serves on the Wisconsin Economic Development Association Board of Directors. In addition, she sits on the Board of Directors and Loan Committee of Bay Bank, a tribally owned bank, and on the Forward Community Investments New Markets Tax Credit Advisory Board. Fern serves on the Program Advisory Committee for the Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe Community College and also the Community Advisory Committee for Associated Bank. Orie holds a B.A. in Business Administration and is a certified Economic Development Finance Professional (EDFP) through the National Development Council. She is an enrolled member of the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin.
***
Media Contact
Denisse Ruiz
Communications Officer
denisse@oweesta.org
Oweesta Corporation Certified by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for Native Homeownership Network
Longmont, CO – Oweesta announces the certification of the Native Homeownership Network as a national housing counseling network under HUD. Launched in 2019, the Native Homeownership Network is the only housing counseling network comprised exclusively of Native community development financial institutions (CDFIs) and Native non-profits seeking to increase homeownership on tribal lands, reservations, and urban environments across the United States. As a HUD-approved agency, the Network has the accreditation, financial support, and technical knowledge to further strengthen housing development in Indian Country.
“The HUD certification is a testament to the unwavering and groundbreaking work the Native Homeownership Network is achieving in the housing market,” said Heather Rademacher Taylor, Director of Programs. “COVID presented several unforeseen challenges and many of us had to shift priorities and focus on the dire needs of our communities. The Network members still upheld their commitment and pooled their resources to become the first and only housing counseling network dedicated exclusively to Native homeownership. We believe that protecting the livelihood of Native people includes promoting homeownership on Native lands.”
Only 53% of Native Americans are homeowners compared to the 71% of white households who own homes. Oweesta’s role as a national intermediary in Indian Country has always been grounded in addressing emerging needs around economic development of Native communities. As disparities in access to mortgage capital have continued to stall homeownership opportunities for Native families, the Network was established with the goal of organizing, training, and certifying a new cohort of housing counselors living in and advancing Indian Country. The ten organizations part of the Network are poised to expand their services and capabilities through increased homebuyer education, one-on-one housing/financial counseling, and financing. Already, the network has provided homebuyer education and housing counseling to over 1,000 families, helping create a movement toward homeownership in Native communities.
“We are the first peoples of the 50 states, yet a national HUD intermediary dedicated to our communities has been elusive for too long. This accomplishment is the result of two years of work, of collaboration among Native organizations all around the country that are doing the hands-on work of housing counseling in our communities. The achievement is for everyone in Indian Country,” said Robin Puanani Danner, Oweesta Board Vice Chairperson and member of the Native Homeownership Network. “Mahalo to the Biden Administration, to HUD Secretary Fudge, the incredible team at HUD for working with Oweesta Corporation to bestow certification as a national HUD counseling intermediary, and to the Network’s partners and supporters.”
The partnership behind the Network was made possible thanks to the generosity and vision of several partners and funders. NeighborWorks Montana coached the Network through the two-year process of becoming certified. Wells Fargo, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, American Express, and NeighborWorks America financially supported the initiative, which helped provide subgrants for Network members for their housing programs, training and exam preparation, and in some cases, to purchase Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
The Native Homeownership Network will focus efforts on expanding the network by inviting more organizations to join, sustaining existing programs, and narrowing the housing gap by creating more Native homeowners.
The Native Homeownership Network member organizations are:
***
To learn about joining the Native Homeownership Network, contact:
Heather Rademacher Taylor
Director of Programs
heather@oweesta.org
Media Contact
Denisse Ruiz
Communications Officer
denisse@oweesta.org
Oweesta Awarded MacArthur Funds Supporting an Equitable Recovery
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 27, 2021
LONGMONT, CO — Oweesta is to be awarded a grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to support our work in realizing sovereign and self-sustaining economies on Indigenous lands.
The grant is part of roughly $80 million in awards MacArthur announced today in support of the foundation’s Equitable Recovery initiative, centered on advancing racial and ethnic justice. Oweesta is one of 15 organizations receiving part of the $16 million grants under the focus area of advancing “Self-determination of Indigenous Peoples” established to support Indigenous communities’ autonomous pursuit of a recovery guided by their priorities, cultures, and practices.
“Oweesta is deeply honored to be part of MacArthur Foundation’s strategy for an equitable recovery that uplifts self-determination efforts of Native people” said Chrystel Cornelius, President and CEO of the Oweesta Corporation. “As Native communities often have to navigate in landscapes with scarce funding opportunities, through funding initiatives such as these, we can create pathways and programs that allow Native people to take control of their financial lives and begin to build wealth for future generations.”
For over 20 years, Oweesta has been a pillar for the economic advancement of tribal and Indigenous communities through their investment, capacity building, and educational activities. This grant will provide Oweesta the flexibility to make agile and responsive decisions in the face of the evolving needs seen in Native communities, especially as pandemic recovery phases continue to unfold across Indian Country.
“As we emerge from this moment of crisis, we have an opportunity to improve the critical systems that people and places need to thrive. Our systems and structures must be rebuilt,” said MacArthur President John Palfrey. “We are committed to ensuring that our response to the pandemic is focused on supporting the reimagining of systems that create a more just, equitable, and resilient world.”
To advance racial and ethnic justice, MacArthur is supporting work in multiple focus areas, including:
MacArthur identified the areas through a participatory process with a diverse group of external advisors, who informed its strategic approach. The participatory process aimed to center the voices of communities that are affected by the Foundation’s decisions and have a stake in the grantmaking outcomes. The Equitable Recovery initiative is funded by MacArthur’s social bonds, issued in response to the crises of the pandemic and racial inequity.
This is the first time Oweesta has received a grant from MacArthur. Almost two-thirds of the awards represent new grantee relationships, and most of the organizations are led or serving Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. The grants also reflect MacArthur’s global reach with 45 percent of new funding supporting work outside of the U.S., including 12 percent in India, and 14 percent in Nigeria, where MacArthur has offices.
Equitable Recovery Initiative
In the fall of 2020, MacArthur established a $125 million Equitable Recovery Initiative. The Foundation deployed $40 million of bond proceeds through 24 grants. Initial grants focused on strengthening voter mobilization and election protection, addressing anti-Black racism, and supporting Native Americans impacted by COVID-19. Grants also supported Black, Latinx, Asian, and Indigenous arts organizations in Chicago, technology and justice, and a fund for social entrepreneurs advancing racial equity.
View all Equitable Recovery grantees.
Media Contact
Denisse Ruiz, Communications Officer
Oweesta Corporation
denisse@oweesta.org
###
About Oweesta Corporation
Oweesta Corporation provides opportunities for Native people to develop financial assets and create wealth by assisting in the establishment of strong, permanent institutions and programs contributing to economic independence and strengthening sovereignty for all Native communities. Oweesta is the longest-standing Native CDFI (Community Development Financial Institution) intermediary offering financial products and development services exclusively to Native CDFIs and Native communities.
oweesta.org