Congratulations to Angela Koenen for being chosen as one of the members of the 10th cohort of the Native Nations Rebuilders program! Rebuilders are emerging and existing Native leaders looking to build leadership skills and nation building knowledge. Angela was one of 21 tribal citizens from 14 tribes that was […]
Lakota Funds Receives $1 Million to Support Lending Program
The Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund, a part of the U.S. Treasury Department, announced that Lakota Funds was awarded $1,005,000 as part of their Native American CDFI Assistance (NACA) Program. The award will fuel Lakota Funds’ lending program, which in turn channels funds in the form of agricultural, business, […]
Lakota Funds and First National Bank of Rapid City Partner for $15,000 Strong Communities Award
The Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines (FHLB Des Moines) announced that First National Bank of Rapid City has been selected as one of seven competing for $15,000 to use to further promote economic development opportunities in their community. First National Bank, a FHLB Des Moines member financial institution, […]
Expanded Program to Invest $2.6 Million into Reservation Farms and Ranches
We are pleased to announce that we will be expanding our agricultural business program with a funding award from the Native American Agricultural Fund, an organization that was born out of the Keepseagle vs. Vilsack settlement. Through the expansion, we will add a full-time staff member who, along with other […]
Oglala Lakota Artspace LLC to Host Groundbreaking for First-Ever Arts Center on Pine Ridge Reservation
The Oglala Lakota Artspace LLC — comprised of Artspace, First Peoples Fund, and Lakota Funds — announced today the groundbreaking ceremony for the first-ever arts center on the geographically vast Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota: The Oglala Lakota Artspace. The arts facility is designed to provide local Native artists […]
Lakota Funds Launches Client Survey
Providing tools to help our clients build assets and create wealth is at the core of Lakota Funds’ mission. We are conducting a brief survey of our clients so that we can identify areas of opportunity to best serve you. The survey will only take approximately six minutes, and all […]
Prefabricated Home Sales Office Now Open in Kyle
While thousands of homes are needed to fully meet the housing needs of Pine Ridge Reservation residents, Tess Puckett’s new business, Lakota Cabins, will be in high demand. Lakota Cabins sells custom-built, prefabricated, energy-efficient homes at a reasonable price point. Puckett hopes her new business will help the community by […]
Oglala Lakota Artspace to Break Ground in September
The kind of place everyone dreams of. That is how artist and First Peoples Fund staff member Bryan Parker (White Mountain Apache, Muscogee Creek, Mississippi Choctaw) describes the Oglala Lakota Artspace, a first of its kind space slated to break ground this fall on the Pine Ridge Reservation. A collaboration […]
Free Tax Service Brings Over $1 Million to Reservation, Receives Award from IRS
With tax season wrapping up, Lakota Funds and the Lakota Federal Credit Union are celebrating the success of their Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) site where they offer free tax preparation services to residents of the Pine Ridge Reservation and neighboring areas. By the end of tax season, they filed […]
Lakota Funds Recognized as Leader in Food Sovereignty
The Nonprofit Quarterly’s article, “In Indian Country, Native CDFIs Work to Restore Food Sovereignty,” features our agricultural lending program and explains how it not only helps entrepreneurs grow their businesses, but it also addresses immediate needs for food access within our community. It also explains the importance of increasing the […]