Oweesta at Native Gathering Day and OFN42
What a week! In October, Native CDFI leaders, Tribal partners, investors, and funders gathered in New Orleans for Native Gathering Day and OFN42, Opportunity Finance Network’s annual conference and the nation’s signature CDFI industry gathering.
As the largest and longest-standing Native CDFI intermediary, Oweesta facilitated Native Gathering Day, welcoming a few hundred attendees from across the country and several Tribal communities. After Native Gathering Day, Oweesta participated in OFN42 panels on housing, clean energy, and New Markets Tax Credits (NMTCs). We also came home with an award, new partners, and plenty of action plans.
We’re grateful to everyone who gathered with us.
Native Gathering Day
Native Gathering Day opened the week with a full day of conversation among Native CDFI leaders and partners. Jeffery Darensbourg, PhD, scholar and cultural educator, opened the day with a welcome and land acknowledgement.
The conversations then covered capital access, policy, New Markets Tax Credits (NMTC), and affordable housing solutions and ended with a high-energy pitch challenge. Three messages threaded throughout the day:
- Native-led capital works. Native CDFIs know our communities, and the capital that serves us best is patient, flexible, and guided by our priorities.
- Native CDFIs are ready to scale. Native CDFIs are using new tools like EQ2s, participation loans, New Markets Tax Credits, and the secondary market to bring more capital to Indian Country.
- Relationships are foundational. From housing to clean energy, Native CDFIs build the trust with Tribes that big projects depend on.
Tawny Wilson, Senior Director of Advancement, summed up how we all felt:
“There were so many powerful moments throughout the week, but one theme that really stood out was the power of community-led capital and how important it is to get resources into the hands of the people shaping Indian Country. And the people are ready.”
Representing at OFN42
At OFN42, Native CDFIs were part of the conversation, from the main stage to breakout sessions.
Native CDFIs on the main stage
A conference highlight was the plenary “Opportunity Next Conversation: Native Communities,” with Pete Upton, CEO of the Native CDFI Network; Lakota Vogel, executive director of Four Bands Community Fund; and Skya Ducheneaux, OFN board member and executive director of Akiptan. They discussed the future of Native CDFIs, why optimism matters, and how stronger relationships can fuel economic development in Indian Country. They also asked what Native CDFIs’ growth reveals about the CDFI movement as a whole, and how non-Native CDFIs and partners can support it.
Oweesta panels
Oweesta participated in several deep dive conversations, offering insight and knowledge from more than 26 years of partnering with Native CDFIs and Tribal communities:
- Housing Our Relatives: Financing the Indigenous Housing Ecosystem. Oweesta President and CEO Chrystel Cornelius joined Kim Pate of the Nimiipuu Fund and Garron Yepa of NeighborWorks America to explore housing as part of a larger web of land, culture, health, and economic opportunity. Small-group sessions focused on federal resources, lending structures, and investment in Native communities.
- Capital weaving for Native clean energy. Native communities are leading the transition to clean energy, but many projects still face financing gaps. Oweesta Chief Financial Officer Florence Ludka joined Ted Piccolo of Mission Driven Finance and Shiva Patel of Justice Climate Fund to share how their organizations weave capital together around three shared principles: Native-led, participatory, and adaptive.
- Unlocking the Power of New Markets Tax Credits in Indian Country. Oweesta Senior Loan Officer Trevor Bradford joined Lakota Vogel and Andrew Rubin of Nixon Peabody to explore how Native CDFIs use NMTCs to finance transformative projects, build capacity, and attract new investment. Through case studies, they shared lessons from early projects and how Native CDFIs can position themselves for future allocations.
Celebrating Native CDFI leadership
Native CDFIs took home two national honors at the Opportunity Honors ceremony on October 22. Oweesta received the Adina Abramowitz Impact Award for Organizational Growth and Change, becoming the first Native CDFI to receive it. Four Bands Community Fund received the second annual Native CDFI Leadership Award. Congratulations, relatives.
Revisit the fun!
Thank you to OFN, our partners, and everyone who made the special week what it was. We’re carrying our conversations with us!
- Hear the speeches from our awardees: Adina Abramowitz Impact Award — Oweesta and Native CDFI Leadership Award — Four Bands Community Fund.
- See more from Native Gathering Day 2026 and OFN42 in our Facebook albums! Find yourself and your team and share on social.
- See OFN’s OFN42 recap.
