From staci at oweesta.org Tue Jun 5 13:17:56 2007 From: staci at oweesta.org (Staci Lacroix) Date: Tue, 5 Jun 2007 11:17:56 -0600 Subject: [Circleup] NAIG Announcement Message-ID: Friends, I am pleased to announce the formation of Native American Investment Group (NAIG). We are a federally certified lender for BIA-guaranteed loans focused entirely on Native American projects. We will specialize in loans from $5mm to $20mm for projects to spur economic development and job creation in Indian country. As a "non-bank" lender, we have broad flexibility in structuring transactions. We anticipate utilizing grant money, new market tax credits, and partnerships with private companies to enhance the projects. We plan to work closely with the Native CDFIs, Native-owned banks and financial institutions in Native communities throughout the US. We hope to partner with your organizations and bring financing and expertise needed for larger projects. Our outstanding board includes former Secretary of Interior Manuel Lujan, noted Native leader Elsie Meeks, and Michael Utter whose non-profit organization has been the largest originator of grants for Indian country the past 15 years. Our board members, officers, and staff have brought more than $300 million to Indian country over the past several years. United together, as part of NAIG, we expect to bring even more capital to Native America. With our initial funding capacity, we are prepared to bring $250 million in loan fundings to Native projects. We are dedicated to bringing economic growth and sustainability to Native people and look forward to working with you. Please keep our contact information handy and call at anytime to discuss how we can help bring your projects to reality. Sincerely, Gary Millhollon President ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------- NATIVE AMERICAN INVESTMENT GROUP BOARD MEMBERS & OFFICERS Manuel Lujan, Jr. (Board member) Manuel Lujan served as the United States Secretary of the Interior from 1989 to 1993 and served in the US House of Representatives from 1969 to 1989. While in Congress, he demonstrated special expertise and interest in Indian affairs, nuclear power expansion, and the opening of federal lands to commerce and recreation. In 1978, Lujan became one of five inaugural members in the Congressional Hispanic Caucus . In 2004, he launched the Hispanic Alliance for Progress Institute, a think-tank focusing on economic issues from a Hispanic perspective. Born on a small farm near the Pueblo of San Ildefonso, New Mexico, Lujan has been closely attuned to Native American culture since birth. His respect for Native people has resulted in his many friends and a long, trusting relationship with Native Americans. Lujan was for many years head of the largest insurance agency in New Mexico which today has 13,000 clients doing business in 38 states. The company is one of the 60 largest Hispanic-owned businesses in the US and was named "Most Admired Company" by New Mexico's Top 100 Companies. Lujan's professional career also includes experience as a banker and he has served on numerous bank boards in the past. Lujan's tenure at the Interior Department was commemorated by Congress with an award named for him. Each year, the department presents the "Manuel Lujan, Jr. Champion Award" to employees who exhibit "outstanding work in carrying out the department's mission." Elsie Meeks (Board member) In addition to being the first Native American to serve on the US Civil Rights Commission, Meeks has been a tireless worker in Indian country for almost 20 years. Meeks is the Executive Director of First Nations Oweesta Corporation (FNOC) whose mission is to enhance the capacity of Native tribes and communities to access, control, create, leverage, utilize, and retain financial assets and to provide access to appropriate financial capital for Native development effort. To reach this mission, FNOC focuses on providing technical assistance and training for the development and/or expansion of Native Community Development Financial Institutions (NCDFIs). FNOC is the only Native CDFI Intermediary in the country. When this effort began, there were 2 NCDFIs in the US. There are now more than 40. FNOC also provides small loans and investment capital to qualified NCDFIs. FNOC, along with Fannie Mae Foundation, has developed a curriculum, Building Native Communities: Financial Skills for Families. They continually provide information and train-the-trainer workshops to tribes and Native organizations in this curriculum on consumer financial literacy. Meeks was active in the development of The Lakota Fund (the first Native CDFI in the nation) and was with the Fund in various capacities for nearly 15 years (including Executive Director for 6 years). The Lakota Fund is an NCDFI on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation (SW South Dakota). The Lakota Fund specializes in small business education, micro-lending, and enterprise development as well as other community development projects. Meeks is currently serving as a board member of National Community Capital Association and was a founding member of the Association for Enterprise Opportunity. She also serves as a board member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe Partnership for Housing. In 1994 she received SBA's "South Dakota Minority Small Business Advocate of the Year" award. She is co-owner of a grocery store and she and her husband are owners and operators of Broken Arrow Rodeo and Cattle Company which provides specially trained horses and cattle to the rodeo industry. She was recommended by then Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle and appointed by President Clinton to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights in 1999. Meeks is an enrolled member of the Oglala Lakota Tribe and the first Native American ever to serve on the US Civil Rights Commission. Meeks is a board member of Dakota Americas LLC which was approved for $50,000,000 in New Markets Tax Credits for rural Native American projects by the US Treasury Department. Gary Millhollon (President and Board member) Millhollon has been in the commercial lending profession for over 32 years. Until May of this year, he was Senior Vice President and National Director of the Native American Lending Group for Compass Bank. In that position, Millhollon made loans and managed the department that made loans to Native American tribal enterprises for Compass Bank throughout the US. He is the only lender in the US to have closed an energy production loan transaction guaranteed by the BIA. Prior to his current position Millhollon was President of First Capital Group, Albuquerque, New Mexico, from January 1, 1996 to October 1, 2002. At FCG he established and managed the equipment finance company for a 75-year-old publicly-traded bank. He was responsible for overall management of sales, credit, lending, and leasing operations for a national region. He negotiated the sale of FCG, which was acquired by the largest privately owned bank in the US in March of 2000. He managed a staff of 10 people who performed all functions of origination, underwriting, documentation, funding, and servicing. After the acquisition, he remained as president of for two years. Millhollon grew the company to more than $100 million per year in new loans with over 800 customers in 42 states. Millhollon serves on the advisory board of Wall Street Without Walls, a national, non-profit agency based in NY. WSWW brings economic projects to impoverished communities utilizing the capital markets. These projects create jobs, provide housing and basic infrastructure to these communities. WSWW partners and investors include the Federal Reserve Bank, Fannie Mae Foundation, and the Kellogg Foundation. More than $200 million of projects have been brought to impoverished communities by their efforts. Millhollon is a graduate of the University of Texas with double major in Finance and Communications. Millhollon's wife is Native American. Michael Utter (Board member) Known by many as the largest grant writer in Indian country, Michael Utter is co-founder and CEO of RCI-Rural Community Innovations-a non-profit corporation founded in 1996 to serve the development needs of rural communities. He is an economic development specialist who has written and initiated more than $150 million in successful grants. He is frequently consulted as an expert on rural entrepreneurship and non-profit corporation development. He has over 15 years of rural business development experience specializing in strategic planning, funding, and market development for clients in a number of manufacturing, tourism and value-added industries. Utter has conducted over two dozen feasibility studies in the last 10 years for a variety of financial institutions, agricultural producer groups, and emerging businesses the western United States. He began his career in 1975 as Assistant Director of Municipal and Economic Development for the City of Albuquerque, New Mexico, and then worked with Mayor Tom Bradley's Office of Economic Development in Los Angeles, California, where he headed a 501(c)(3) Community Development Corporation. In the mid-1980s he was the founding Executive Director of a large non-profit, international medical relief agency and has consulted with many organizations for his extensive knowledge in non-profit fundraising and management. He holds a Bachelor degree in Psychology from the University of New Mexico, a member of Phi Beta Kappa, and completed graduate studies in Public Administration at the University of New Mexico. RCI has been working with and serving many Native American tribes and organizations in the last five years, including business development projects on the Lower Brule Sioux Reservation, the Oglala Sioux Tribes in South Dakota, the Cheyenne River Reservation, the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming, the Hopi Tribe in Arizona, the Navajo Nation in Arizona and Utah, and the Fort Belknap Indian Community in Montana. Under his guidance, RCI is one of the nine partners and fiscal manager of the Oweesta Collaborative-a recipient of a recent $2 million W.K. Kellogg Foundation for entrepreneurship development for Native America. Utter is currently performing the feasibility study for the Dakota Americas LLC which was approved for $50,000,000 in New Market Tax Credits for rural Native American projects by the US Treasury Dept. Michael Plante, Esq. (Vice president and Board member) Michael Plante is the Vice President and legal counsel for a New Mexico-based lending group, managing the underwriting and legal supervision of their loan portfolio. Plante additionally serves as vice president and counsel for a privately-owned real estate development corporation with over $200 million in large-scale mixed-use development projects in the Southwestern US. Plante has been directly involved in the underwriting, processing, management and legal supervision of over $75 million of RE bond transactions. He has maintained a direct involvement in the underwriting and legal supervision of several New Mexico BIA loan guarantee transactions. Plante graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of New Mexico with a B.S. in both Biology and Psychology and obtained his Doctor of Jurisprudence from UNM. He is a member of the State Bar of New Mexico. From stewart at oweesta.org Thu Jun 7 13:47:39 2007 From: stewart at oweesta.org (Stewart Sarkozy) Date: Thu, 7 Jun 2007 11:47:39 -0600 Subject: [CircleUp] Listserve Live and Our Native Circle Complete! Message-ID: As you may have guessed the Circle Up Listserve is live and you are our first subscribers! We will be continuing to grow the membership on the listserve and at Our Native Circle (www.ournativecircle.org ) so spread the word and stay in touch with the updates. If you have any questions, please contact info at ournativecircle.org and remember to post your events, conferences, trainings, etc. to the listserve and get them on the calendar at http://www.ournativecircle.org/event. Thanks, Our Native Circle Team -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/circleup_lists.ournativecircle.org/attachments/20070607/ab3619d7/attachment.html From aalbright at ncrc.org Mon Jun 11 11:55:16 2007 From: aalbright at ncrc.org (Ada Albright) Date: Mon, 11 Jun 2007 11:55:16 -0400 Subject: [CircleUp] NCRC Training Academy June training events Message-ID: NCRC Training Academy Schedule of Events June 2007 Dear NCRC Members and friends, Don't miss your opportunity to join two training events schedule for the NCRC Training Academy for the month of June. Below are descriptions of the training topics. Looking forward to you joining us. Spaces are limited! Reserve your seat now for these timely topics! Training Site: The training events are on-site at our Training Academy at 727 15th Street, NW between New York Avenue and H Street. We are two blocks from the McPherson and Metro Center metro stations. Training events are also available for participants via webcast. Workshop fees: FREE to NCRC Members, $25.00 for non-profit non-members, $50 for academics and government; $75 for for profits. To register send an email to aalbright at ncrc.org. June 27, 2007 Overview of Fair Housing & Fair Lending Wednesday, June 27, 2007 1:00pm - 4:00pm EST Course Description: This course is designed to familiarize participants with the basic requirements and implications of the Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988 and its companion statutes. The course will also review the fair lending investigation procedures -- how these apply to the work you do, and such practical matters as how to conduct an investigation. Target Audience: This training session is designed for NCRC Members, community groups and other interested in fair housing investigations. Presenter: Michael Mitchell, Esq., NCRC Fair Housing & Lending June 29, 2007 Fundamentals of Fundraising Friday, June 29, 2007 1:00pm - 3:00pm EST Course Description: Applying for and winning grants requires a portfolio of skills in such areas as organizational development, research, finance, strategic planning, design, time management, knowledge of area resources, writing, editing, and packaging. To help participants develop and build on these skills, this hands-on course shows how to identify appropriate private-sector grant makers, approach and cultivate a funding source, organize and write a winning proposal. This course is expressly designed for beginning grant writers. Target Audience: This training session is designed for very small non-profit organizations of 1-4 persons or for individuals working with small non-profit organizations. Presenter: Rashmi Rangan, Esq., Delaware Community Action Council Looking forward to your attendance at NCRC Training Academy Events. Sincerely, Ada Albright Ada B. Albright Director, Training Academy National Community Reinvestment Coalition 727 15th Street, N.W., 8th Floor Washington, DC 20005 202-464-2727 202-628-9800 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/circleup_lists.ournativecircle.org/attachments/20070611/a457a422/attachment.html From nmoran at cityyear.org Mon Jun 11 12:10:43 2007 From: nmoran at cityyear.org (Nora Moran) Date: Mon, 11 Jun 2007 12:10:43 -0400 Subject: [CircleUp] Full Time Paid Volunteer Positions at City Year--APPLY NOW! Message-ID: <6C4305F51ED46646A2C4B800A948A6A206B10C72@hqsemail.cityyear.org> Full time AmeriCorps opportunities are now available at City Year-Visit www.whyiserve.com for more information on how you or someone you know can take part in this rewarding service opportunity. City Year Greater Philadelphia unites young adults ages 17-24 from diverse backgrounds for a challenging year of full-time service and leadership development. Members work primarily in the city's most under-resourced schools where they take on multi-faceted roles providing academic support, leading and innovating education programs, and serving as role models to youth. The service experience provides young adults with a unique opportunity to make a dramatic impact on the lives of children while also serving as an advocate for social change in our community, nation, and world. City Year is a great opportunity for young adults who are looking for a challenging and rewarding post-graduate experience- and for the third consecutive year, has been featured in the Princeton Review's "Best Entry-Level Jobs" as one of 112 companies recommended as great places for new grads to work. Position responsibilities: * Provide in-class academic and literacy support * Lead after-school and out-of school programming * Lead youth in service learning- based curricula * Assist in College and career preparation for high school students * Develop and implement large-scale service events * Engage community members, elected officials, and corporate partners in service * Help design innovative service projects and plan special events Position qualifications: * Being between the ages of 17 and 24 * Strong commitment to improving communities through service * Ability to work individually and with a diverse team * Excellent organizational skills and ability to handle multiple projects * Relative team, volunteer, and leadership experience, as well as experience working with youth highly preferred For more information on positions at City Year contact philadelphiarecruitment at cityyear.org or visit www.whyiserve.com . 16 Additional locations across the country -visit www.cityyear.org for info on these sites and on City Year's national history. Apply to City Year Online! www.cityyear.org/joinscorps -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/circleup_lists.ournativecircle.org/attachments/20070611/9b62b259/attachment-0001.html From stewart at oweesta.org Mon Jun 11 12:36:09 2007 From: stewart at oweesta.org (Stewart Sarkozy) Date: Mon, 11 Jun 2007 10:36:09 -0600 Subject: [CircleUp] FW: For Immediate Release - Cheyenne River Youth Project, South Dakota Message-ID: -----Original Message----- From: Julie Garreau [mailto:jgarreau at indianyouth.org] Sent: Monday, June 11, 2007 10:09 AM Subject: For Immediate Release - Cheyenne River Youth Project, South Dakota FYI Julie A. Garreau Executive Director Cheyenne River Youth ProjectR The Main Youth Center & Cokata Wiconi Teen Center PO Box 410 - E Lincoln Street Eagle Butte SD 57625 605-964-8200 605-964-8203 (direct line) 605-964-8201 (fax) 605-365-7082 (cell) www.lakotayouth.org Sustainable Future Inspired vision, A connection to roots, Born from tradition. Treading new ground, Tilling the soil, Preparing the next generation. Community spirit, A seed sprung to life, Relationships interwoven. A fresh start each day, Connecting the old and the young, The produce of pure existence. Can you feel it? I can. It's rising up out of the ground. It's a sustainable future. ________________________________ -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Teen Art Show Follow-Up PR (6-6-07).doc Type: application/msword Size: 33280 bytes Desc: Teen Art Show Follow-Up PR (6-6-07).doc Url : /pipermail/circleup_lists.ournativecircle.org/attachments/20070611/5decd62d/attachment-0002.doc -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Midnight Basketball PR (6-7-07).doc Type: application/msword Size: 31744 bytes Desc: Midnight Basketball PR (6-7-07).doc Url : /pipermail/circleup_lists.ournativecircle.org/attachments/20070611/5decd62d/attachment-0003.doc From stewart at oweesta.org Mon Jun 11 13:31:05 2007 From: stewart at oweesta.org (Stewart Sarkozy) Date: Mon, 11 Jun 2007 11:31:05 -0600 Subject: [CircleUp] Poverty Story - ONE Campaign Jumps Into 2008 Politics Message-ID: ONE Campaign Jumps Into 2008 Politics * Sign In to E-Mail or Save This * Print By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Published: June 11, 2007 Filed at 12:51 p.m. ET WASHINGTON (AP) -- The anti-poverty campaign of U2 rocker Bono is investing $30 million to pressure the presidential candidates to focus on the oft-forgotten issue, with its leaders arguing on Monday that helping the poor is a national security issue. Dubbed ONE Vote '08, the bipartisan political push aims to get President Bush's successor to commit to taking concrete steps in the first 100 days to combat hunger and disease while improving access to education and water across the globe. ''People do not go to war with people who have saved their children's lives,'' former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist , R-Tenn., told reporters at a church in the nation's capital. Frist is co-chair of the effort to mobilize activists to pressure the 18 or more presidential aspirants through the media and grass-roots work. The other co-chair also is a former Senate Majority leader, Democrat Tom Daschle of South Dakota. ''Some of the most vivid memories of our experience (in Congress) didn't happen in Washington, they happened in Africa,'' Daschle said. ''It is incumbent on all of us to recognize that this must be a key part of national domestic security.'' Created in 2004 by rocker Bono, the ONE organization counts 2.5 million members from across the political spectrum and all 50 states. Until now, the focus has been on raising awareness of global poverty and encouraging activists to lobby Congress to devote more money to the cause. Now, the mission will include mobilizing activists. Among the donors: the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation . For months, scores of volunteers wearing black-and-white ONE T-shirts and carrying placards have been attending presidential debates and some campaign events by Hillary Rodham Clinton , Barack Obama and other Democrats, as well as Republicans such as John McCain and Mitt Romney . Activity will only increase in the coming months, with town-hall-style events, mailings, a celebrity bus tour and TV advertisements. For now, the focus is on the early primary states of Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire and South Carolina. But the effort eventually will be expanded to the more than dozen states holding contests on Feb. 5, and will continue through the general election. At least one candidate, Democrat John Edwards , has focused on combatting poverty, heading an anti-poverty center in North Carolina in recent years. In the fall, the group will ask candidates to sign a pledge and embrace a platform that lays out concrete steps to: --Fight HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. --Improve child and maternal health. --Increase access to basic education, particularly for girls. --Provide access to clean water and sanitation. --Reduce by half the number of people worldwide who suffer from hunger. ^------ On the Net: ONE: www.one.org OWEESTA Developing Native Assets :: Building Native Communities Stewart Sarkozy-Banoczy Director of Training and Technical Assistance First Nations OWEESTA Corporation 1010 Ninth Street, Suite 3 Rapid City, SD 57701 stewart at oweesta.org www.oweesta.org tel: fax: mobile: (605) 342-3770 (605) 342-3771 (605) 430-9398 Add me to your address book... Want a signature like this? -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... 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Name: not available Type: image/gif Size: 345 bytes Desc: image003.gif Url : /pipermail/circleup_lists.ournativecircle.org/attachments/20070611/3a5ff52a/attachment-0005.gif From stewart at oweesta.org Mon Jun 11 14:13:59 2007 From: stewart at oweesta.org (Stewart Sarkozy) Date: Mon, 11 Jun 2007 12:13:59 -0600 Subject: [CircleUp] Predatory Lending Comments Requested - Important for Native Communities Message-ID: FED REQUESTS PREDATORY LENDING COMMENTS. The Federal Reserve Board will hold a hearing June 14 in Washington, D.C. and will accept written comments through August 15 on whether and how it could address predatory lending through regulations. See http://www.federalreserve.gov/boarddocs/press/bcreg/2007/20070529 or Federal Register, 5/31/07, pp. 30380-83. Contact Kathleen C. Ryan, Fed, 202-452-2412. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/circleup_lists.ournativecircle.org/attachments/20070611/78696b9d/attachment.html From stewart at oweesta.org Tue Jun 12 12:42:07 2007 From: stewart at oweesta.org (Stewart Sarkozy) Date: Tue, 12 Jun 2007 10:42:07 -0600 Subject: [CircleUp] Communities Empowering Youth Bidders Call Message-ID: Communities Empowering Youth Bidders Call Organizations considering applying for the Compassion Capital Fund (CCF) Communities Empowering Youth (CEY) program are invited to sign up for a FREE informational conference call about the grant program on Thursday, June 14th, 2007 at 1pm (Eastern Standard Time). The call is offered by the Office of Community Services and will be hosted by CCF Federal program manager Thom Campbell in advance of the July 10, 2007, application deadline. Space is limited. To register for this conference call, please click here or go to http://www.zoomerang.com/recipient/survey-intro.zgi?p=WEB226KHKVKDEE. Topics to be discussed on this conference call include: * the types of projects and activities allowable under the program; * how to submit an application; * what makes a strong proposal; and * how grantees will be selected. The CEY program seeks to build the organizational capacity, sustainability, and effectiveness of experienced organizations working through community collaborations to reduce gang involvement, youth violence, and child abuse and neglect. The Office of Community Services will award funds to build the organizational capacity of the lead organizations, their collaborating faith-based and/or community partners, and the resulting community collaborations to address issues facing America's disadvantaged youth and promote positive youth development. Successful applicants will provide training and technical assistance to their partners in four critical areas: 1) leadership development, 2) organizational development, 3) program development, and 4) community engagement. The Office of Community Services anticipates awarding a total of $7.5 million in grants of up to $250,000 per year for three years to approximately 30 organizations. The application deadline is July 10, 2007. To view or download a copy of the program announcement, please click here or go to http://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/open/HHS-2007-ACF-OCS-IC-0141.html. For organizations unable to participate in the call, a PowerPoint presentation, a transcript and a recording of the call will be available for download from the Compassion Capital Fund Web site by the end of the day on Thursday, June 14. This call is intended only for organizations interested in receiving information on the CEY program. For information on other grant programs, visit the CCF Web site or the Administration for Children and Families Open Funding Opportunities page . Massoud Adibpour ANA Eastern Region 1 12110 Sunset Hills Road, Suite #450 Reston, VA 20190 Toll-Free Line: 1-888-221-9686 www.anaeastern.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/circleup_lists.ournativecircle.org/attachments/20070612/8e03fe55/attachment.html From stewart at oweesta.org Wed Jun 13 11:29:16 2007 From: stewart at oweesta.org (Stewart Sarkozy) Date: Wed, 13 Jun 2007 09:29:16 -0600 Subject: [CircleUp] Hawaiians get new help toward home downpayments - Native IDA Story Message-ID: Pacific Business News (IDAs) Hawaiians get new help toward home downpayments The concept of affordable housing usually refers to building housing for which the price tag is lower. But a new program for Native Hawaiian works from the other end by building up the savings a family can build toward buying a home. The Individual Development Account program is now underway, in which low to moderate income families aiming to buy homes on Hawaiian Home Lands can sock money away and have their funds matched on a 3-to-1 basis. The state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development worked together to fund the program, developed by the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement. "IDAs are innovative and successful programs, very popular around the country to encourage low income families to establish saving accounts and to help them reach the goal of homeownership," said CNHA President Robin Puanani Danner. "We really wanted to bring this savings assistance product to Hawaii, and in particular, to families working hard to build or buy a home on Hawaiian Home Lands." It applies to families with household incomes below 80 percent of the area median income. The median is the point at which half of households earn more and half less. The 3-to-1 matching grant is capped at $7,500 per family per home purchase. "With the residential projects underway by DHHL, a down payment assistance program is absolutely critical to help families to qualify for the home loans that will be needed," noted Michelle Kauhane, executive director of Hawaiian Community Assets, a nonprofit that provides homebuyer education and promotes financial literacy -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/circleup_lists.ournativecircle.org/attachments/20070613/23af3b4c/attachment-0001.html From stewart at oweesta.org Wed Jun 13 12:04:08 2007 From: stewart at oweesta.org (Stewart Sarkozy) Date: Wed, 13 Jun 2007 10:04:08 -0600 Subject: [CircleUp] Indian lender getting federal funds - Native CDFI in WI Message-ID: Hrromell at journalsentinel.com Posted: June 12, 2007 http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=618966 A not-for-profit organization that lends money to American Indian businesses is set to receive access to $500,000 in new capital from the U.S. Small Business Administration. First American Capital Corp., an offshoot of the American Indian Chamber of Commerce of Wisconsin, will officially become an SBA micro-lender on Friday. With the designation, First American will be able to tap the $500,000 at low interest rates, then turn around and lend it to start-ups and growing businesses. "Native Americans are in the first generation of being in business, being business owners, being entrepreneurs, and what we lack collectively is the capital to start and grow businesses," First American President Jeff Bowman said. Bowman, a Mohegan, is president of Mitchell Bank. "I'm the only Native American to be president of a bank in Milwaukee," he said. The pool of SBA money will substantially increase First American's resources, giving it about $1.3 million, said Craig Anderson, president and executive director of the American Indian Chamber in West Allis. First American started doing business in late 2003. Using grant money from such sources as the State Department of Commerce and the U.S. Treasury's Community Development Financial Institutions Fund, it has made about 15 loans, Bowman said. Among First American's borrowers, he said, are an industrial supply firm in Waukesha that received working capital, a Yamaha dealer in Delafield that got start-up money and a Campbellsport construction company that used the funds for down payments on expensive equipment that does excavation with high-pressure water lines. "We're trying to make investments in Native-owned businesses so they can grow in the entrepreneur community," Bowman said. "These people grow and hire and create jobs." Anderson said one problem American Indian entrepreneurs face in borrowing money is that their assets may be held in trust on a reservation and cannot be used as collateral. A study by the chamber four years ago concluded that American Indian businesses in Wisconsin needed about $42 million in capital, Anderson said. First American's loan decisions are made by an all-American Indian committee that includes Bowman, a banker from Green Lake and a contractor in Butler with banking experience. Most loans have been $15,000 to $25,000, with the largest at $130,000, Bowman said. To date, First American has charged 8% interest. Rates for loans from the pool of SBA money haven't been set yet. Bowman said it looks like First American will borrow that money at 3.25%to 4.5%. The organization is allowed to charge an additional 7.75 to 8.5percentage points, but may decide to work on a smaller spread of 4 to 5points, he said. Non-Indians are also eligible for the loans. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/circleup_lists.ournativecircle.org/attachments/20070613/bd650728/attachment.html From stewart at oweesta.org Thu Jun 14 12:12:54 2007 From: stewart at oweesta.org (Stewart Sarkozy) Date: Thu, 14 Jun 2007 10:12:54 -0600 Subject: [CircleUp] SLOTS STILL AVAILABLE: Native Financial EducationInstructor Training in Anchorage, AK - July 17-19, 2007 Message-ID: First Nations Oweesta Corporation and the Department of the Treasury's Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) Fund are pleased to offer Expanding Native Opportunity: Native Financial Skills Initiative, a comprehensive financial education training and technical assistance program for Native communities. This initiative offers a three-day instructor training and certification program to help Native CDFIs, tribes and other Native organizations establish and sustain financial education programs in their communities. Participants will also have access to free, customized follow-up technical assistance to assist with program implementation and delivery. The next training is July 17-19, 2007 in Anchorage, AK at the Cook Inlet Tribal Council. Applications will be accepted until all slots are filled, but the hotel cut-off date at the Hampton Inn is Monday, June 18, 2007. Each session will be open to ten Native CDFIs, tribes and other Native organizations and will address: * An introduction to the Building Native Communities: Financial Skills for Families curriculum; * Effective training techniques and resources; * Financial education program development planning; * Integrating other asset building efforts such as Individual Development Accounts and Earned Income Tax Credit outreach campaigns into financial education programs; * Start up and ongoing operational issues; * Strategies for fundraising; and * Much more. Upon completion of the training, participants will be prepared to successfully pass the Building Native Communities certification exam to become certified financial education trainers. TRAINING CALENDAR Regional trainings are scheduled for: July 17-19, 2007 Anchorage, AK August 28-30, 2007 Minneapolis, MN November 27-29, 2007 Hollywood, FL January 22-24, 2008 Hawaii March 4-6, 2008 Southern California The cost for the trainings is only $25.00 per person, but participants are responsible for their own travel costs. Applicants must agree to send at least two and up to four participants. For more information, contact Joanna Donohoe, Oweesta's Program Director for Financial Education and Asset Building at 561-626-9700 or joanna at oweesta.org. To download an application, please visit www.oweesta.org/nfsi or contact: OWEESTA 1010 Ninth Street, Suite 3 Rapid City, SD 57701 (605) 342-3770, FAX (605) 342-3771 staci at oweesta.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/circleup_lists.ournativecircle.org/attachments/20070614/4c2f6059/attachment-0001.html -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/jpeg Size: 10699 bytes Desc: image001.jpg Url : /pipermail/circleup_lists.ournativecircle.org/attachments/20070614/4c2f6059/attachment-0002.jpe -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/jpeg Size: 5308 bytes Desc: image002.jpg Url : /pipermail/circleup_lists.ournativecircle.org/attachments/20070614/4c2f6059/attachment-0003.jpe From mskinner at assoceo.org Thu Jun 14 15:47:25 2007 From: mskinner at assoceo.org (Mike Skinner) Date: Thu, 14 Jun 2007 15:47:25 -0400 Subject: [CircleUp] Register Today for AEO's Rural Pathways: An Introduction to Regional Flavors Message-ID: <99501F7335A11C4B963511717A1C320530BABC@aeoex.AEO-VA2.local> On Monday, June 18th, at 1:00 p.m. EDT, AEO will host Rural Pathways: An Introduction to Regional Flavors, the first in a series of five one-hour webinars focusing on a range of strategies for supporting rural business and building pathways to thriving rural economies. Regional flavor strategies-which can range from joint brochures to festivals and trails-open opportunities for microenterprise development organizations to build networks in their communities. Learn all about this exciting new strategy and leave the webinar with: * A checklist of your area's Regional Flavor assets * 3 examples of successful Regional Flavor projects you can share with others in your organization and region * 6 Regional Flavor activities you could easily undertake * 5 sources of funding for Regional Flavor activities To register for this webinar and to learn more about the other webinars in AEO's Rural Pathways to Success series, visit http://www.microenterpriseworks.org/index.asp?bid=709 . Register for the entire series to receive a $50 discount coupon good for future AEO webinars! Current participants of AEO's Kellogg-funded rural projects may be entitled to additional discounts and, before registering, should contact Natalie Woodroofe at nwoodroofe at assoceo.org for more information. __._,_.___ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/circleup_lists.ournativecircle.org/attachments/20070614/7daaf353/attachment.html From stewart at oweesta.org Fri Jun 15 12:07:23 2007 From: stewart at oweesta.org (Stewart Sarkozy) Date: Fri, 15 Jun 2007 10:07:23 -0600 Subject: [CircleUp] Native Businesses! - GSA Opening Doors for Small Business Conference and Exposition: Save the dates! Message-ID: GSA Conference - special emphasis and discounts for Native participants - please forward to all Native owned businesses and those that work with them. Phoenix | August 27-29, 2007 JW Marriott Desert Ridge In fiscal year 2006, the federal government awarded $65 billion in contracts to small businesses. This is your special advance invitation to open new doors to your share of the government marketplace by attending or exhibiting at this information-packed small business procurement conference. Through networking and matchmaking, workshops and exhibits, attendees of the fourth annual GSA Opening Doors for Small Business Conference and Exposition will make lasting connections leading to business development and strategic partnerships in the pursuit of federal and state government contracts. This year's expanded program will feature two Welcome/Networking Receptions, two Matchmaking Forums, two Keynote Luncheons and nine total Workshops. Our three-day event will be hosted at the spectacular JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa, a haven in the Sonoran Desert, offering a special rate of $119/night to all conference attendees the entire week of August 26-30, 2007 (based on availability). This rate expires August 6, 2007, so reserve your room early to guarantee your rate! All small businesses are welcome! Special emphasis workshops and discounted conference fees for Native American, Alaska Native, HUBZone, Veteran and Service-Disabled Veteran owned small businesses. For more information, including the conference agenda, workshop descriptions, and details on pre-scheduling appointments for the Matchmaking Forums, click here or cut and paste www.gsa.gov/r9sbconference into your Internet browser. Save the dates! Register online today to take advantage of Early Bird conference fees! We hope to see you there! -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/circleup_lists.ournativecircle.org/attachments/20070615/fd3a9db0/attachment.html From stewart at oweesta.org Fri Jun 15 16:22:01 2007 From: stewart at oweesta.org (Stewart Sarkozy) Date: Fri, 15 Jun 2007 14:22:01 -0600 Subject: [CircleUp] CDFI Fund Reminder: CIIS Deadline Approaching for FY 2006 Activities Message-ID: Reminder: CIIS Deadline Approaching for FY 2006 Activities The deadlines for reporting fiscal year 2006 information into the CDFI Fund's Community Investment Impact System, or CIIS, is rapidly approaching. CIIS is the web-based data collection system that Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) and Community Development Entities (CDEs) use to submit their Institution Level Reports (ILRs) and Transaction Level Reports (TLRs) to the Fund. Deadlines The deadline for CDFIs with a December 31, 2006 fiscal year end is June 30, 2007. The deadline for CDEs with a December 31, 2006 fiscal year end is June 29, 2007 - or 180 days after the close of the fiscal year. Please refer to your specific allocation or assistance agreement for further details. Guidance In order to assist organizations required to submit data in CIIS, the CDFI has posted CIIS report forms and instructions at www.cdfifund.gov/ciis . This webpage also includes important data points, how they will be used and whether or not they are mandatory. A list of commercial software products that have the capability to track and electronically submit all of the TLR data points is also on the webpage. The documents on this webpage are posted for informational purposes only. To complete and submit the required reports, CDFIs and CDEs must enter CIIS through their organizations myCDFIFund account. Questions If you have any questions regarding CIIS, please contact the CIIS Help Desk by calling (703) 373-1516 or by e-mailing ciishelp at kearneyco.com. CIIS is managed by EF Kearney, a contractor to the Fund. If you have any questions regarding your organizations reporting requirements, please contact the Fund's Compliance Monitoring and Evaluation Unit at (202) 622-8226 or by email at cme at cdfi.treas.gov. Forward to a friend Unsubscribe from CDFI's Newsletters Change format of future eMessages -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/circleup_lists.ournativecircle.org/attachments/20070615/fd3b17a4/attachment-0001.html -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... 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Name: not available Type: image/gif Size: 73 bytes Desc: image004.gif Url : /pipermail/circleup_lists.ournativecircle.org/attachments/20070615/fd3b17a4/attachment-0007.gif From joanna at oweesta.org Thu Jun 14 14:13:45 2007 From: joanna at oweesta.org (Joanna Donohoe) Date: Thu, 14 Jun 2007 12:13:45 -0600 Subject: [CircleUp] The State of the Native Nations Message-ID: >From Andrew Lee *************************** Dear friends and colleagues, Attached is some information about a new book, titled The State of the Native Nations: Conditions Under U.S. Policies of Self-Determination. It just came out, and we're especially proud of it because it fills a glaring gap in the literature about contemporary Native America. The attached documents provide additional details about the book and I hope you will help us spread the word about it. The State of the Native Nations chronicles the political, economic, social, and cultural renaissance of contemporary Native America. In-depth research, extensive data, and the distinctive voices of Native leaders are brought together to tell the story of today's Native Nations' efforts to chart their own courses across matters ranging from economic development to social development, to arts and culture, to intergovernmental relations and federal policy. With kind regards and all good wishes, Andrew **************************** Andrew J. Lee 139 Stonepost Road Glastonbury, CT 06033 W: (860) 273-6090 C: (617) 504-6513 Work: LeeA1 at aetna.com Personal: AndrewJonasLee at hotmail.com _________________________________________________________________ Make every IM count. Download Messenger and join the i'm Initiative now. It's free. http://im.live.com/messenger/im/home/?source=TAGHM_June07 This e-mail may contain confidential or privileged information. If you think you have received this e-mail in error, please advise the sender by reply e-mail and then delete this e-mail immediately. Thank you. Aetna -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: PRESSReleaseonKSGLtrhead06-07-07.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 25812 bytes Desc: PRESSReleaseonKSGLtrhead06-07-07.pdf Url : /pipermail/circleup_lists.ournativecircle.org/attachments/20070614/2ce67753/attachment-0002.pdf -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: OUPFlyerFinalwithauthorsessayists.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 148059 bytes Desc: OUPFlyerFinalwithauthorsessayists.pdf Url : /pipermail/circleup_lists.ournativecircle.org/attachments/20070614/2ce67753/attachment-0003.pdf From stewart at oweesta.org Fri Jun 15 17:02:16 2007 From: stewart at oweesta.org (Stewart Sarkozy) Date: Fri, 15 Jun 2007 15:02:16 -0600 Subject: [CircleUp] June is National Homeownership Month Message-ID: June is National Homeownership Month Throughout Homeownership Month "we are taking our message of promoting and protecting homeownership to communities nationwide," said HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson. "All Americans should have the opportunity to achieve the dream of buying a home - and once they do, we want to ensure they stay in it. Educating families about the homebuying process and helping those homeowners who may have hit a bump in the road is critical to ensuring a house remains both a home and a secure and stable investment." This year's theme - Promoting and Protecting Homeownership - promotes first-time homebuying; encourages homebuyers to learn about the responsibilities of owning a home; and helps consumers understand the fine print of a mortgage. Towards achieving your Tribe's homeownership goals, First Nations Oweesta Corporation and the Department of the Treasury's Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) Fund are pleased to offer Expanding Native Opportunity: Native Financial Skills Initiative, a comprehensive financial education training and technical assistance program for Native communities. This initiative offers a three-day instructor training and certification program to help Native CDFIs, tribes and other Native organizations establish and sustain financial education programs in their communities. Participants will also have access to free, customized follow-up technical assistance to assist with program implementation and delivery. The next training is July 17-19, 2007 in Anchorage, AK at the Cook Inlet Tribal Council. Applications will be accepted until all slots are filled, but the hotel cut-off date at the Hampton Inn is Monday, June 18, 2007. Each session will be open to Native CDFIs, tribes, TDHE's and other Native organizations and will address: * An introduction to the Building Native Communities: Financial Skills for Families curriculum; * Effective training techniques and resources; * Financial education program development planning; * Integrating other asset building efforts such as Individual Development Accounts and Earned Income Tax Credit outreach campaigns into financial education programs; * Start up and ongoing operational issues; * Strategies for fundraising; and * Much more. Upon completion of the training, participants will be prepared to successfully pass the Building Native Communities certification exam to become certified financial education trainers. The cost for the trainings is only $25.00 per person, but participants are responsible for their own travel costs. Applicants must agree to send at least two and up to four participants. For more information, contact Joanna Donohoe, Oweesta's Program Director for Financial Education and AssetBuildingat 561-626-9700 or joanna at oweesta.org . To download an application, please visit www.oweesta.org/nfsior contact: OWEESTA 1010 Ninth Street, Suite 3 Rapid City, SD57701 (605) 342-3770, FAX (605) 342-3771 staci at oweesta.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/circleup_lists.ournativecircle.org/attachments/20070615/1b29cd85/attachment.html From joanna at oweesta.org Wed Jun 20 13:33:22 2007 From: joanna at oweesta.org (Joanna Donohoe) Date: Wed, 20 Jun 2007 11:33:22 -0600 Subject: [CircleUp] Streamlining the Mortgage Approval Process in Indian Country workshop schedule Message-ID: The attached brochure provides the upcoming schedule of "Streamlining the Mortgage Approval Process in Indian Country" workshops sponsored by the Federal Reserve System, BIA, USDA and HUD-ONAP. For more information, contact Craig Nolte at (206) 343-3761 or craig.nolte at sf.frb.org. Joanna Donohoe Program Director, Financial Education and Asset Building Oweesta Corporation P.O. Box 32188 Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33420 (561) 626-9700 CELL (561) 762-8237 FAX (561) 626-4010 joanna at oweesta.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/circleup_lists.ournativecircle.org/attachments/20070620/2ea50ba8/attachment-0001.html -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: streamline mortgage approval brochure v5 albuquerque 2007.pdf Type: application/octet-stream Size: 1924576 bytes Desc: streamline mortgage approval brochure v5 albuquerque 2007.pdf Url : /pipermail/circleup_lists.ournativecircle.org/attachments/20070620/2ea50ba8/attachment-0001.obj From stewart at oweesta.org Thu Jun 21 11:42:45 2007 From: stewart at oweesta.org (Stewart Sarkozy) Date: Thu, 21 Jun 2007 09:42:45 -0600 Subject: [CircleUp] Washington State Asset Building Update - Native Groups Take Notice Message-ID: Washington State Asset Building Update - please forward to any Native groups in Washington who may be eligible for some of this + also some positive points for those of you in other states trying to do this work. Washington State Asset Building Update June 2007 IN THIS UPDATE CTED Releases RFP for funding local asset building projects Washington Asset Building Coalition Moves Forward Ten local asset building coalitions expand local asset building capacity State and Local EITC Campaigns Provide Expanded Outreach and Free Tax Preparation 2006-2007 IDA Projects Fully Enrolled "Raise the asset building torch high to provide financial hope, opportunity and choice to low income individuals and families. Model and teach paths to prosperity for all, not simply create programs for a few." WA Asset Building Coalition Vision Statement WABC - Participating Organizations American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) Associated Ministries Tacoma-Pierce County Asset Building Coalition BECU Columbia Legal Services Economic Opportunity Institute Federal Reserve Bank of SF International District Housing Alliance Internal Revenue Service KeyBank King County Housing Authority Lutheran Public Policy Office Muckleshoot Indian Tribe North Columbia Community Action Council Northwest Cooperative Development Center Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction Okanogan Community Action Council Olympic Community Action Programs Pierce County Asset Building Coalition Seattle Asset Building Collaborative Making Connections ShoreBank Enterprise Cascadia Snohomish County Community Action Partnership South Puget Intertribal Planning Agency Spokane Neighborhood Action Programs Statewide Poverty Action Network Tacoma Housing Authority US Department of Housing and Urban Development United Way of King County United Way of Snohomish County Washington State Community Action Partnership Washington Credit Union League Washington Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development Washington Department of Financial Institutions Washington Department of Social and Health Services Washington Homeownership Center WAMU Bank Washington Micro-Enterprise Association Dear Sharon, Since our last asset building update in early 2007, much progress has been made across the state. Both statewide and in communities, groups and coalitions are active making progress to provide financial hope, opportunity and prosperity for low-income Washington state individuals and families. Here are some highlights: CTED Releases RFPs for funding local asset building projects and IDAs CTED has released an RFP to support expansion of local asset building across the state. To see the RFP, click here Additionally, CTED is offering funds for Individual Development Accounts. Scroll down to the IDA Projects section below to find that RFP. Washington Asset Building Coalition Moves Forward Coalition members successfully developed and advocated a proposal that resulted in $2.8 million in budgeted funding to expand asset building for the 2007-09 period. Rep. Jeannie Darneille led this effort from within the Legislature while Kim Justice, Poverty Action, did an amazing job working with Coalition members as our lead advocate in Olympia. This success mean $1.0 million in new funds for Individual Development Accounts and $1.2 million for expanding and supporting the activities of local asset building coalitions across the state. Additional funds will support other statewide asset building activities. WABC just created an Executive Team to provide leadership as we move forward. Paula Mahoney, Community Development Officer, WAMU and Larry Stuckart, Executive Director, Spokane Neighborhood Action Programs (SNAP), have generously agreed to be our first WABC co-chairs. Coalition Work Teams are now working to advance the following four goal areas set by WABC last October. * Create a range of private and public prosperity products for asset building; * Develop and promote public and lending policies for asset building; * Market savings, smart borrowing and benefits like the EITC; and * Expand financial literacy opportunities and outcomes across the state. Please contact Paul Knox, (360) 725-4140 if you want to get involved in the statewide Coalition on one of its work teams. Next Steps: WABC has been selected by the Corporation for Enterprise Development (CFED) to be one of ten state level partners to release and use their 2007 Assets Scorecard to improve state-level asset-related policies. The Scorecard will feature 85 outcome and policy measures, as well as enhanced policy tools and progress indicators - including a focus on 12 core state policies - that will provide a powerful platform for policy advocates. This will support and enhance our advocacy and outreach work across the state for the next two years. The Statewide Poverty Action Network will serve as the lead entity for WABC for this project. Please contact Kim Justice, (206) 694-6781 to hear more about this initiative. Ten local asset building coalitions expand local asset building capacity Ten local coalitions have continued to regularly meet and act on an array of asset building activities. These groups involve financial institutions, community action and social services agencies, housing and micro-enterprise groups, United Ways, foundations and government organizations. All groups were involved in promoting the EITC in their regions and many are conducting financial literacy education and preparing local campaigns to promote savings and banking. An attached summary PowerPoint presentation provides more information on each local coalition's work. An array of leaders from local asset building coalitions participated in an April 5 on-line meeting to share/learn from each other and practice using some online tools to establish a stronger network. Peg Giffels with WABC's partner, Community Connects Network, worked with CTED staff to design and facilitate the session. Live Meeting, a Microsoft product that combines web and telephone connections linked us all together. To learn more about Communities Connect and visit the WABC wiki site . Next Steps: Existing local AB coalitions and other communities and will be summarizing their results of the past nine months and developing proposals to start up or expand their activities and services. Groups will be seeking additional funding from public and private sources. CTED will be offering an opportunity to apply for state funds in June, 2007 with proposals due in early August. For a link to the RFP, go here. For a list of local coalitions, their lead and who is presently involved, go here . State and Local EITC Campaigns Provide Expanded Outreach and Free Tax Preparation State and local partners just completed the 2006 tax year campaign. While results are still being tabulated and the impact on total EITC filings will not be known for months, the following highlights demonstrate the level of outreach and organization. * The new, statewide 211 call system served as the main portal and referred thousands of callers to local free tax assistance and free online tax filing software. * Twelve local EITC outreach campaigns were organized and led by asset building partners, covering much of the state. These campaigns built on and added local marketing and tax prep assistance focus to our overall state campaign. * Thanks to a great partnership with DSHS, over 850,000 mailing inserts were mailed directly to recipients of public benefits like medical coupons, food assistance, long-term care providers and foster parents. 80,000 hand-outs and 1,000 color posters were locally distributed to promote EITC. * All materials were in both English and Spanish and a special multi-language flyer was sent out to public assistance recipients speaking eight other languages. * Governor Gregoire recorded a PSA in mid-January which was distributed to radio stations across the state. EITC ads were inserted into ValPak coupon mailings which reach over half a million targeted low income households across the state. CTED and the Washington Community Action Partnership (WSCAP) wrote and submitted a grant request April 30th to expand and strengthen EITC outreach and free tax preparation capability in regions of the state with no or limited EITC resource and past experience. WABC partners the IRS, community action agencies, United Way of King County and their local asset building partners supported our application. If funded, this federal grant would provide $50,000 per year for three years. Next Steps: Debrief the just completed 2006 tax year campaign and plan for 2007 with key partners including AARP and the 211 Network call system. Explore how to best expand next year's campaign (which will begin in September 2007) with or without the federal grant noted above. Eight local Individual Development Accounts (IDA) projects have nearly completed enrolling low income accountholders The state IDA program began in Fall, 2005 and provides match funds to help low-income working accountholders purchase assets including their first home, a post-secondary education, or capitalize a small business. All state funds are presently allotted and our seven contractors have already enrolled over 220 accountholders who get financial literacy training and save monthly for their asset purchase. Another 50 accounts will be created in the next month, completing the availability of state funded slots for this budget cycle. State IDA funds will generate at least $579,000 of earned savings by account holders toward their asset purchase. IDA contractors have already found $1,485,143 in additional private and federal funds to expand the impact of these local projects. Next Steps: Local IDA providers are presently applying for federal Assets for Independence funds using present or future state IDA funds as match. Using newly budgeted state IDA funds, CTED will be offering a June, 2007, opportunity for local organizations to apply with proposals due in late August. Go here for the RFP . For more information visit CTED's website or contact Paul Knox , (360) 725-4140 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/circleup_lists.ournativecircle.org/attachments/20070621/7749381b/attachment-0001.html -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/gif Size: 73 bytes Desc: image001.gif Url : /pipermail/circleup_lists.ournativecircle.org/attachments/20070621/7749381b/attachment-0002.gif -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/gif Size: 73 bytes Desc: image002.gif Url : /pipermail/circleup_lists.ournativecircle.org/attachments/20070621/7749381b/attachment-0003.gif From stewart at oweesta.org Thu Jun 21 13:32:56 2007 From: stewart at oweesta.org (Stewart Sarkozy) Date: Thu, 21 Jun 2007 11:32:56 -0600 Subject: [CircleUp] Position Available in Native American Loan Guarantee Program *MBA's encouraged Message-ID: Department of the Interior Office of Indian Energy & Economic Development Division of Capital Investment The Division of Capital Investment implements the Indian Finance Act of 1974. An array of financial tools are provided including loan guarantees to Native American-owned businesses, loan insurance, and interest subsidy. New regulations are being drafted to include bond guarantees, CDFIs as lending entities, guarantees to not-for-profit entities, and a secondary market for the sale and transfer of loans. We are looking for a Program Analyst to assist in a variety of areas. A background in finance, small business development, marketing, or other business-related fields is specifically appreciated. This position is not necessarily a PMF position, although current PMFs are invited to apply. The office specifically wants to target former PMFs who are seasoned. The position will likely be a GS12/13 but that is open for negotiation to a candidate with the right background and interest. If you are interested please contact me: Liz Nagorski, (202) 513-7680, liznagorski at yahoo.com . Thank you for your interest. OWEESTA Developing Native Assets :: Building Native Communities Stewart Sarkozy-Banoczy Director of Training and Technical Assistance First Nations OWEESTA Corporation 1010 Ninth Street, Suite 3 Rapid City, SD 57701 stewart at oweesta.org www.oweesta.org tel: fax: mobile: (605) 342-3770 (605) 342-3771 (605) 430-9398 Add me to your address book... Want a signature like this? -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/circleup_lists.ournativecircle.org/attachments/20070621/db77ba30/attachment.html -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/gif Size: 345 bytes Desc: image001.gif Url : /pipermail/circleup_lists.ournativecircle.org/attachments/20070621/db77ba30/attachment.gif From chrystel_aurora at msn.com Thu Jun 21 16:33:20 2007 From: chrystel_aurora at msn.com (Chrystel Cornelius) Date: Thu, 21 Jun 2007 15:33:20 -0500 Subject: [CircleUp] Information requested regarding credit reporting Message-ID: An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/circleup_lists.ournativecircle.org/attachments/20070621/4d7b4d44/attachment.html From stewart at oweesta.org Thu Jun 21 19:30:27 2007 From: stewart at oweesta.org (Stewart Sarkozy) Date: Thu, 21 Jun 2007 17:30:27 -0600 Subject: [CircleUp] Lakota Funds Celebrates 20 Years - One of the first Native CDFIs! Message-ID: The Lakota Funds celebrates 20 years on June 22, 2007 at home on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. Attached are the newsletter and fact sheet. Congratulations are in order for this long standing Native CDFI. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/circleup_lists.ournativecircle.org/attachments/20070621/4d0a46f3/attachment-0001.html -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: newletter2.pdf Type: application/octet-stream Size: 1844495 bytes Desc: newletter2.pdf Url : /pipermail/circleup_lists.ournativecircle.org/attachments/20070621/4d0a46f3/attachment-0001.obj -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Lakota Fund Information.607.doc Type: application/msword Size: 116736 bytes Desc: Lakota Fund Information.607.doc Url : /pipermail/circleup_lists.ournativecircle.org/attachments/20070621/4d0a46f3/attachment-0001.doc From stewart at oweesta.org Fri Jun 22 10:49:38 2007 From: stewart at oweesta.org (Stewart Sarkozy) Date: Fri, 22 Jun 2007 08:49:38 -0600 Subject: [CircleUp] SRDI Report on USDA Funding Patterns in Low Wealth and Minority Rural Communities - Press Releases for Report and Data Tools Message-ID: SRDI announces the release of a national analysis documenting the mis-alignment of USDA funding to the needs of rural low wealth and minority counties across the nation. Attached is the report as a PDF document, and two press releases, one on the report, and a second on two web based data tools specific to the analysis of federal funding patterns in rural America. Both can be found at http://circ.rupri.org . The SRDI report is also accessible on the home page of SRDI's website: www.srdi.org . The web-based data tools are both general and specific. One is a general custom query database interface for funding patterns of federal agencies from 2001-2003. It is a powerful tool and was used to generate the data for our report. The second data tool is specific to USDA. Given the timeliness of the data for the current USDA reauthorization legislation, SRDI and RUPRI felt that county summaries of key USDA funding patterns would be useful for rural leaders who wish to shape the policy partnership with USDA. SRDI developed these tools in partnership with the Rural Policy Research Center of the University of Missouri, Columbia. They have been terrific partners in this work. Some of you may wonder how coincidental it is that SRDI releases this report on the heels of Wednesday's Washington Post story on USDA funding inequities in some Mississippi Delta counties. We contacted the writer in early April and suggested that there was a real story there, and after several week's back and forth agreed that this is an important narrative. The WP's data sets are independent of our own but they conform very nicely with our findings. We take more of a national perspective - mostly on low wealth counties and communities of color, and to a lesser degree in other kinds of settings. We do point out that rural counties within metro region (generally off everyone's radar screen) have a stake in the reauthorization. We also emphasize the importance of a community asset building strategy for USDA that puts children as a key community benchmark. Jason Gray Research & Policy Director Southern Rural Development Initiative 128 East Hargett Street, Suite 202 Raleigh, NC 27601 Office #: (919) 829-5900, ext. 204 Cell Phone # (919) 606-6392 www.srdi.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/circleup_lists.ournativecircle.org/attachments/20070622/95862562/attachment-0001.html -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: SRDI REPORT ON USDA FUNDING PATTERNS.pdf Type: application/octet-stream Size: 233542 bytes Desc: SRDI REPORT ON USDA FUNDING PATTERNS.pdf Url : /pipermail/circleup_lists.ournativecircle.org/attachments/20070622/95862562/attachment-0003.obj -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: SRDI-USDA ANALYSIS REPORT PRESS RELEASE.pdf Type: application/octet-stream Size: 35299 bytes Desc: SRDI-USDA ANALYSIS REPORT PRESS RELEASE.pdf Url : /pipermail/circleup_lists.ournativecircle.org/attachments/20070622/95862562/attachment-0004.obj -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: SRDI-RUPRI JOINT ANNOUNCEMENT-PRESS RELEASE.pdf Type: application/octet-stream Size: 38822 bytes Desc: SRDI-RUPRI JOINT ANNOUNCEMENT-PRESS RELEASE.pdf Url : /pipermail/circleup_lists.ournativecircle.org/attachments/20070622/95862562/attachment-0005.obj From stewart at oweesta.org Fri Jun 22 13:40:42 2007 From: stewart at oweesta.org (Stewart Sarkozy) Date: Fri, 22 Jun 2007 11:40:42 -0600 Subject: [CircleUp] Information requested regarding credit reporting In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Chrystel (and everyone else)... besides the personal Native CDFI reporting experience we discussed prior, I also mentioned Credit Builders Alliance (CBA) and their efforts to do the joint reporting. I just received the email below and it appears that CBA is really moving forward with this, so I do recommend that Turtle Mtn (and other Native CDFI and like organizations) get involved with them. Good luck and I hope others share their responses on the Circle Up, so we all learn.... Thanks, Stewart Dear Stewart: Thank you for contacting CBA over the past year and letting us know you want to report to a major credit bureau. We are pleased to announce that the CBA Reporter is now providing client payment histories to Experian and is accepting applications from interested community lenders to join the alliance. Check out the new CBA Reporter section of our website to learn how your organization can get started. The online CBA Reporter Application is part of Step 5. CBA is also working closely with John Meredith of CommonGoals to help its lenders upgrade The Exceptional Assistant (TEA) with the software needed to meet industry standards. We are committed to making the process of reporting as streamlined and convenient as possible. We hope you are still interested in joining Credit Builders Alliance -- we are committed to helping you report to Experian. Please contact us with any questions. Thanks! John Russell Membership Manager Credit Builders Alliance P: (202) 730-9390 F: (240) 293-4895 www.creditbuildersalliance.org PLEASE NOTE THAT OUR PHONE NUMBER HAS CHANGED. ________________________________ From: circleup-bounces at lists.ournativecircle.org [mailto:circleup-bounces at lists.ournativecircle.org] On Behalf Of Chrystel Cornelius Sent: Thursday, June 21, 2007 2:33 PM To: circleup at lists.ournativecircle.org Subject: [CircleUp] Information requested regarding credit reporting As an emerging CDFI, the Turtle Mountain has not yet formally began lending practices; we are however in the process of finalizing the curriculum for providing financial literacy classes for our tribal members. My question is geared towards those institutions who are providing the above mentioned development services and pulling credit reports for their clients. I have been researching various companies that provide memberships that will enable us to pull credit reports, but I would like input from seasoned Native CDFI's on what has worked best for their establishments, and possible references on their current memberships with credit reporting providers. I am specifically interested in accessing the tri-merge reports, which incorporates information from all three major credit reporting agencies. Any assistance in this matter would be much appreciated. Chrystel Cornelius Executive Director Turtle Mountain CDFI (701) 477-5811 office (701) 477-9673 fax chrystel_aurora at msn.com ________________________________ Don't miss your chance to WIN $10,000 and other great prizes from Microsoft Office Live -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/circleup_lists.ournativecircle.org/attachments/20070622/ad11cca4/attachment.html From lwagner at wrdf.org Fri Jun 22 13:53:10 2007 From: lwagner at wrdf.org (Lisa Wagner) Date: Fri, 22 Jun 2007 11:53:10 -0600 Subject: [CircleUp] Information requested regarding credit reporting In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <007d01c7b4f6$35279710$9f76c530$@org> Hi Chrystel, We use Equifax. There's a minimum $25/month fee which gets you about four or five credit checks each month. Then it's $2-$4 (I think) for each credit check after you hit the monthly minimum. It's worked pretty well for us so far. But we are also interested in finding out about pulling from all three agencies so would like to hear from anyone who's doing that. I can tell you that we had an audit done by Equifax the first year we were in business (we're 3.5 years old) and found out that you have to have a special language signed for individuals who you're checking who are owners of a corporation. We have standard language on our loan app that gives us permission to do a financial check. But for a corporation we also have them sign an additional paper (required by Equifax). Good luck! Lisa Wagner Wind River Development Fund P.O. Box 661 Fort Washakie, WY 82514 T: 307-335-7330 F: 307-335-7332 lwagner at wrdf.org www.wrdf.org From: circleup-bounces at lists.ournativecircle.org [mailto:circleup-bounces at lists.ournativecircle.org] On Behalf Of Chrystel Cornelius Sent: Thursday, June 21, 2007 2:33 PM To: circleup at lists.ournativecircle.org Subject: [CircleUp] Information requested regarding credit reporting As an emerging CDFI, the Turtle Mountain has not yet formally began lending practices; we are however in the process of finalizing the curriculum for providing financial literacy classes for our tribal members. My question is geared towards those institutions who are providing the above mentioned development services and pulling credit reports for their clients. I have been researching various companies that provide memberships that will enable us to pull credit reports, but I would like input from seasoned Native CDFI's on what has worked best for their establishments, and possible references on their current memberships with credit reporting providers. I am specifically interested in accessing the tri-merge reports, which incorporates information from all three major credit reporting agencies. Any assistance in this matter would be much appreciated. Chrystel Cornelius Executive Director Turtle Mountain CDFI (701) 477-5811 office (701) 477-9673 fax chrystel_aurora at msn.com _____ Don 't miss your chance to WIN $10,000 and other great prizes from Microsoft Office Live -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/circleup_lists.ournativecircle.org/attachments/20070622/6259bb88/attachment.html From stewart at oweesta.org Fri Jun 22 16:03:28 2007 From: stewart at oweesta.org (Stewart Sarkozy) Date: Fri, 22 Jun 2007 14:03:28 -0600 Subject: [CircleUp] FW: Information requested regarding credit reporting Message-ID: ________________________________ From: Richard Schrantz [mailto:richard at hawaiiancouncil.org] Sent: Friday, June 22, 2007 1:54 PM To: Stewart Sarkozy Subject: RE: [CircleUp] Information requested regarding credit reporting Aloha everyone, here's a link to a credit reporting service that's used a lot in the mortgage industry....First American Credco specializes in tri-merge reporting from all three credit reporting bureaus...average cost per tri-merge credit report per applicant is ~$20. Not sure if they do corporate credit reports. http://www.facredco.com/ Richard Richard Schrantz Controller Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement 33 South King Street, Suite 513 Honolulu, HI 96813 Phone: (808) 521-5011 www.hawaiiancouncil.org Save the Dates! August 22 to 24, 2007! 6th Annual Native Hawaiian Convention - Hawai'i Convention Center Communities United: Our Passions, Our Strengths, Our Future He Waiwai Nui ka Lokahi aka E Ala! E Alu! E Kuilima! ________________________________ From: circleup-bounces at lists.ournativecircle.org [mailto:circleup-bounces at lists.ournativecircle.org] On Behalf Of Stewart Sarkozy Sent: Friday, June 22, 2007 7:41 AM To: Chrystel Cornelius; circleup at lists.ournativecircle.org Subject: Re: [CircleUp] Information requested regarding credit reporting Chrystel (and everyone else)... besides the personal Native CDFI reporting experience we discussed prior, I also mentioned Credit Builders Alliance (CBA) and their efforts to do the joint reporting. I just received the email below and it appears that CBA is really moving forward with this, so I do recommend that Turtle Mtn (and other Native CDFI and like organizations) get involved with them. Good luck and I hope others share their responses on the Circle Up, so we all learn.... Thanks, Stewart Dear Stewart: Thank you for contacting CBA over the past year and letting us know you want to report to a major credit bureau. We are pleased to announce that the CBA Reporter is now providing client payment histories to Experian and is accepting applications from interested community lenders to join the alliance. Check out the new CBA Reporter section of our website to learn how your organization can get started. The online CBA Reporter Application is part of Step 5. CBA is also working closely with John Meredith of CommonGoals to help its lenders upgrade The Exceptional Assistant (TEA) with the software needed to meet industry standards. We are committed to making the process of reporting as streamlined and convenient as possible. We hope you are still interested in joining Credit Builders Alliance -- we are committed to helping you report to Experian. Please contact us with any questions. Thanks! John Russell Membership Manager Credit Builders Alliance P: (202) 730-9390 F: (240) 293-4895 www.creditbuildersalliance.org PLEASE NOTE THAT OUR PHONE NUMBER HAS CHANGED. ________________________________ From: circleup-bounces at lists.ournativecircle.org [mailto:circleup-bounces at lists.ournativecircle.org] On Behalf Of Chrystel Cornelius Sent: Thursday, June 21, 2007 2:33 PM To: circleup at lists.ournativecircle.org Subject: [CircleUp] Information requested regarding credit reporting As an emerging CDFI, the Turtle Mountain has not yet formally began lending practices; we are however in the process of finalizing the curriculum for providing financial literacy classes for our tribal members. My question is geared towards those institutions who are providing the above mentioned development services and pulling credit reports for their clients. I have been researching various companies that provide memberships that will enable us to pull credit reports, but I would like input from seasoned Native CDFI's on what has worked best for their establishments, and possible references on their current memberships with credit reporting providers. I am specifically interested in accessing the tri-merge reports, which incorporates information from all three major credit reporting agencies. Any assistance in this matter would be much appreciated. Chrystel Cornelius Executive Director Turtle Mountain CDFI (701) 477-5811 office (701) 477-9673 fax chrystel_aurora at msn.com ________________________________ Don't miss your chance to WIN $10,000 and other great prizes from Microsoft Office Live -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/circleup_lists.ournativecircle.org/attachments/20070622/737e04d2/attachment-0001.html From stewart at oweesta.org Fri Jun 22 16:13:17 2007 From: stewart at oweesta.org (Stewart Sarkozy) Date: Fri, 22 Jun 2007 14:13:17 -0600 Subject: [CircleUp] FW: News from First Peoples Fund Message-ID: ________________________________ From: Miranne Walker [mailto:miranne at firstpeoplesfund.org] Sent: Tuesday, June 19, 2007 2:55 PM To: Stewart Sarkozy Subject: News from First Peoples Fund CSA Recipients The Jennifer Easton 2007 Community Spirit Awards Susan "Tweet" Burdick. Yurok Delia Cook, Akwesasne Mohawk Ronald Paquin, Chippewa Saulte Ste. Marie Sadie Buck, Tonawanda Seneca On December 2, 2006, First Peoples Fund honored four cultural bearers for their love and generosity towards others in their community. Read more... 2007 Fellows Walking the Path First Peoples Fund has a new Program Officer, Staci Eagle Elk an enrolled Osage tribal member from Oklahoma. Since her beginning in January 2007, Staci and other program staff Nico Strange Owl, and Chantal Nez have been busy with application revision for the Artist in Business Leadership and Cultural Capital programs. Dr. Kathleen Pickering, Associate Professor at Colorado State University, has been working with program staff, refining our evaluation tools for measuring the success of our fellows. FPF is also working with Dr. Pickering to conduct a market study identifying what factors are essential for Native art to serve as an economic engine in the northern plains. Much like the southwest Indian art market, the demand for northern plains Indian art is on the rise. Native artists, gallery owners, and collectors have been identified and are being contacted and interviewed. Responses will be combined and a preliminary report will be completed in August 2007. CFED initially launched the study in 2006. We are grateful for their vision. 2007 Artist in Business Leaderhip Fellows: 2007 Cultural Capital Fellows: Joseph Fire Crow Carrie Estey Marietta King David Moses Bridges Antone LeBeau Lois Chichinoff Thadei Linda Szabo Hulleah Tsinhnahjinnie Phillip Whiteman Jr. Mari King Artist Fellow Highlights Since her fellowship with First Peoples Fund in the Artist in Business Leadership Program, Marietta King (Blackfeet) has shown astounding dedication and enthusiasm to her project. Marietta works in both oils and pastels depicting scenes from traditional Blackfeet life. She hopes to grow her arts business in a number of ways through her grant project. Thus far she has: a) purchased a home etching press for her studio, b) purchased shrink wrapping equipment for her work, c) and researched methods of reproducing her art work. She is a recipient of the Full Bright scholarship, which is giving her the opportunity to travel to Nepal, India and Beijing, China for one month. Click here to read the article... 2007 Fellows Joseph Fire Crow (Northern Cheyenne) has been recording Cheyenne flute music since 1993, winning awards, lecturing, and leading workshops. With support from First Peoples Fund, Joseph has built a home recording studio that he is devoting to preserving the songs and stories of tribal people. Thus far, with his grant monies Joseph has: a) purchased recording equipment, b) finalized construction of recording space, c) collaborated with classical musicians, d) and utilized the recording equipment to produce music and share it electronically with other recording studios. For the duration of his fellowship in the program Joseph plans to record and catalogue wolf songs from Cheyenne elders as well as traditional tribal stories. He plans to share the recording space with native peoples in his community. 2007 Fellows As a nationally-known Cultural Consultant, Presenter, Storyteller, Horse-trainer, Champion Grass Dancer, and Rodeo Saddle Bronc Champion, Phillip Whiteman, Jr. (Northern Cheyenne) was selected as a 2007 Artist in Business Leadership Fellow. Through First Peoples Fund, Phillip completed the shooting for his DVD/Video based on his "Medicine Wheel Model to Natural Horsemanship", sharing the philosophy of the medicine wheel as he was taught and how it pertains to the horse. The Medicine Wheel model is a non-confrontational, Native approach to working with and training horses but also emphasises working with each individual on an emotional, physical, and spiritual level. Phillip was recently featured in the February edition of the Western Horseman magazine and was honored at the 2007 Denver March Pow Wow as part of the feature. As a result of Phillip's project, First Peoples Fund will be featured in the September issue of Cowboys and Indians magazine. Partnerships First Peoples Fund is in its third year of its collaborative partnership with the Oweesta Corporation , Rapid City, SD and Rural Community Initiatives, Bozeman Mt. The collaborative consists of nine partners on the Pine Ridge, Cheyenne River and Wind River Reservations, and is funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation through it's 75th Anniversary Rural Entrepreneurship Development Project. Program Officer, Staci Eagle Elk and Don Montileux, 2006 ABL Fellow, have recently conducted a train-the-trainers session on arts marketing for the Lakota Funds' Success Coaches who will utilize the marketing tools to enhance their technical assistant services with the artist's on Pine Ridge. 2007 Fellows In April of 2007, First Peoples Fund joined a new cohort, Creative Communities, funded by Leveraging Investments in Creativity (LINC). As part of LINC's efforts to increase its reach into rural communities, FPF and the Montana Arts Council will conduct a marketing workshop for Native artists in September 2007 in Helena, MT. First Peoples Fund has entered its second year of the Ford Foundation's IllumiNation cohort. Several of our cohort members including Eiteljorg Museum, New England Foundation for the Arts and First Nations Composer Initiative program staff participated in FPF's fellowship convening and Community Spirit Award. Other foundations who participated were Springboard for the Arts and Bush Foundation. FPF will hold its second fellowship convening in October at the Eiteljorg Museum. Spiritual Journey First Peoples Fund extends our deepest sympathy to the families of Apolonia Susana Santos and Nellie Two Bulls, 2006 Community Spirit Award honorees. We are honored that they touched our lives with their spirit and generosity. They will truly be missed. First Peoples Fund PO Box 2977 Rapid City, SD 57709 PH: (605) 348-0324 Fax: (605) 348-6594 www.firstpeoplesfund.org info at firstpeoplesfund.org Founded in 1995, First Peoples Fund's mission is to honor and support the creative community-centered First Peoples artists; and nurture the collective spirit(r) that allows them to sustain their peoples. Click here to donate now! Forward email This email was sent to ssarkozy at oweesta.org, by miranne at firstpeoplesfund.org Update Profile/Email Address | Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe (tm) | Privacy Policy . Email Marketing by First Peoples Fund | PO Box 2977 | Rapid City | SD | 57709-2977 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/circleup_lists.ournativecircle.org/attachments/20070622/78818909/attachment-0001.html From vikki at creditbuildersalliance.org Fri Jun 22 16:32:39 2007 From: vikki at creditbuildersalliance.org (Vikki Frank) Date: Fri, 22 Jun 2007 16:32:39 -0400 Subject: [CircleUp] Credit Reporting In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <001401c7b50c$7b8d95e0$2f01a8c0@Vikki> Hi Native friends- Some of you know about CBA already - we launched this year to be an Alliance of CDFIs and help your loan funds report credit to the major credit bureaus. Both Four Bands and Citizen Potawatomi have joined us and now have membership to report to Experian! We look forward to hearing from other Native CDFI's/lenders if you want to join. Especially if you are using DownHome Loan or CommonGoals/TEA software - as they are great partners to us. Any size loan fund can join us! Call or email me if you want more information. Pulling Tri-Merge reports: CBA is getting ready to do a survey this summer and then look into better options and rates for CDFIs to get tri-merge reports. We've learned that this has been expensive and difficult across our industry. We are looking at reports for lenders for underwriting but also to help non-lenders/lenders use reports for financial education. I am currently looking into options and partners - please share if you have ideas. Also, let me know if this project interests you and your organization. The best way to do that is to spend just 2 minutes and complete the Join Us survey at www.creditbuildersalliance.org (no fee involved!) just gets you into my mailing list. Use the notes box to let me know you are interested in tri-merge reports and how many you would like to be pulling each year. Also, while you are on our website -- check out our Credit Builders Toolkit - we have highlighted a credit builder loan of Four Bands and a credit builder IDA from Citizen Potawatomi. Let us know if you are doing any new or innovative credit building work - we'd like to highlight your work as well! Best, Vikki (formerly CDFI Fund, Native American Team -- remember me?) Vikki Frank Executive Director Credit Builders Alliance 202-730-9390 f: 240-293-4895 vikki at creditbuildersalliance.org www.creditbuildersalliance.org -----Original Message----- From: circleup-bounces at lists.ournativecircle.org [mailto:circleup-bounces at lists.ournativecircle.org] On Behalf Of circleup-request at lists.ournativecircle.org Sent: Friday, June 22, 2007 4:00 PM To: circleup at lists.ournativecircle.org Subject: CircleUp Digest, Vol 1, Issue 12 Send CircleUp mailing list submissions to circleup at lists.ournativecircle.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://lists.ournativecircle.org/mailman/listinfo/circleup_lists.ournativeci rcle.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to circleup-request at lists.ournativecircle.org You can reach the person managing the list at circleup-owner at lists.ournativecircle.org When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of CircleUp digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Re: Information requested regarding credit reporting (Stewart Sarkozy) 2. Re: Information requested regarding credit reporting (Lisa Wagner) 3. FW: Information requested regarding credit reporting (Stewart Sarkozy) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message: 1 Date: Fri, 22 Jun 2007 11:40:42 -0600 From: "Stewart Sarkozy" Subject: Re: [CircleUp] Information requested regarding credit reporting To: "Chrystel Cornelius" , Message-ID: Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Chrystel (and everyone else)... besides the personal Native CDFI reporting experience we discussed prior, I also mentioned Credit Builders Alliance (CBA) and their efforts to do the joint reporting. I just received the email below and it appears that CBA is really moving forward with this, so I do recommend that Turtle Mtn (and other Native CDFI and like organizations) get involved with them. Good luck and I hope others share their responses on the Circle Up, so we all learn.... Thanks, Stewart Dear Stewart: Thank you for contacting CBA over the past year and letting us know you want to report to a major credit bureau. We are pleased to announce that the CBA Reporter is now providing client payment histories to Experian and is accepting applications from interested community lenders to join the alliance. Check out the new CBA Reporter section of our website to learn how your organization can get started. The online CBA Reporter Application is part of Step 5. CBA is also working closely with John Meredith of CommonGoals to help its lenders upgrade The Exceptional Assistant (TEA) with the software needed to meet industry standards. We are committed to making the process of reporting as streamlined and convenient as possible. We hope you are still interested in joining Credit Builders Alliance -- we are committed to helping you report to Experian. Please contact us with any questions. Thanks! John Russell Membership Manager Credit Builders Alliance P: (202) 730-9390 F: (240) 293-4895 www.creditbuildersalliance.org PLEASE NOTE THAT OUR PHONE NUMBER HAS CHANGED. ________________________________ From: circleup-bounces at lists.ournativecircle.org [mailto:circleup-bounces at lists.ournativecircle.org] On Behalf Of Chrystel Cornelius Sent: Thursday, June 21, 2007 2:33 PM To: circleup at lists.ournativecircle.org Subject: [CircleUp] Information requested regarding credit reporting As an emerging CDFI, the Turtle Mountain has not yet formally began lending practices; we are however in the process of finalizing the curriculum for providing financial literacy classes for our tribal members. My question is geared towards those institutions who are providing the above mentioned development services and pulling credit reports for their clients. I have been researching various companies that provide memberships that will enable us to pull credit reports, but I would like input from seasoned Native CDFI's on what has worked best for their establishments, and possible references on their current memberships with credit reporting providers. I am specifically interested in accessing the tri-merge reports, which incorporates information from all three major credit reporting agencies. Any assistance in this matter would be much appreciated. Chrystel Cornelius Executive Director Turtle Mountain CDFI (701) 477-5811 office (701) 477-9673 fax chrystel_aurora at msn.com ________________________________ Don't miss your chance to WIN $10,000 and other great prizes from Microsoft Office Live -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/circleup_lists.ournativecircle.org/attachments/20070622/ad11cca4/ attachment-0001.html ------------------------------ Message: 2 Date: Fri, 22 Jun 2007 11:53:10 -0600 From: "Lisa Wagner" Subject: Re: [CircleUp] Information requested regarding credit reporting To: "'Chrystel Cornelius'" , Message-ID: <007d01c7b4f6$35279710$9f76c530$@org> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Hi Chrystel, We use Equifax. There's a minimum $25/month fee which gets you about four or five credit checks each month. Then it's $2-$4 (I think) for each credit check after you hit the monthly minimum. It's worked pretty well for us so far. But we are also interested in finding out about pulling from all three agencies so would like to hear from anyone who's doing that. I can tell you that we had an audit done by Equifax the first year we were in business (we're 3.5 years old) and found out that you have to have a special language signed for individuals who you're checking who are owners of a corporation. We have standard language on our loan app that gives us permission to do a financial check. But for a corporation we also have them sign an additional paper (required by Equifax). Good luck! Lisa Wagner Wind River Development Fund P.O. Box 661 Fort Washakie, WY 82514 T: 307-335-7330 F: 307-335-7332 lwagner at wrdf.org www.wrdf.org From: circleup-bounces at lists.ournativecircle.org [mailto:circleup-bounces at lists.ournativecircle.org] On Behalf Of Chrystel Cornelius Sent: Thursday, June 21, 2007 2:33 PM To: circleup at lists.ournativecircle.org Subject: [CircleUp] Information requested regarding credit reporting As an emerging CDFI, the Turtle Mountain has not yet formally began lending practices; we are however in the process of finalizing the curriculum for providing financial literacy classes for our tribal members. My question is geared towards those institutions who are providing the above mentioned development services and pulling credit reports for their clients. I have been researching various companies that provide memberships that will enable us to pull credit reports, but I would like input from seasoned Native CDFI's on what has worked best for their establishments, and possible references on their current memberships with credit reporting providers. I am specifically interested in accessing the tri-merge reports, which incorporates information from all three major credit reporting agencies. Any assistance in this matter would be much appreciated. Chrystel Cornelius Executive Director Turtle Mountain CDFI (701) 477-5811 office (701) 477-9673 fax chrystel_aurora at msn.com _____ Don 't miss your chance to WIN $10,000 and other great prizes from Microsoft Office Live -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/circleup_lists.ournativecircle.org/attachments/20070622/6259bb88/ attachment-0001.html ------------------------------ Message: 3 Date: Fri, 22 Jun 2007 14:03:28 -0600 From: "Stewart Sarkozy" Subject: [CircleUp] FW: Information requested regarding credit reporting To: Message-ID: Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" ________________________________ From: Richard Schrantz [mailto:richard at hawaiiancouncil.org] Sent: Friday, June 22, 2007 1:54 PM To: Stewart Sarkozy Subject: RE: [CircleUp] Information requested regarding credit reporting Aloha everyone, here's a link to a credit reporting service that's used a lot in the mortgage industry....First American Credco specializes in tri-merge reporting from all three credit reporting bureaus...average cost per tri-merge credit report per applicant is ~$20. Not sure if they do corporate credit reports. http://www.facredco.com/ Richard Richard Schrantz Controller Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement 33 South King Street, Suite 513 Honolulu, HI 96813 Phone: (808) 521-5011 www.hawaiiancouncil.org Save the Dates! August 22 to 24, 2007! 6th Annual Native Hawaiian Convention - Hawai'i Convention Center Communities United: Our Passions, Our Strengths, Our Future He Waiwai Nui ka Lokahi aka E Ala! E Alu! E Kuilima! ________________________________ From: circleup-bounces at lists.ournativecircle.org [mailto:circleup-bounces at lists.ournativecircle.org] On Behalf Of Stewart Sarkozy Sent: Friday, June 22, 2007 7:41 AM To: Chrystel Cornelius; circleup at lists.ournativecircle.org Subject: Re: [CircleUp] Information requested regarding credit reporting Chrystel (and everyone else)... besides the personal Native CDFI reporting experience we discussed prior, I also mentioned Credit Builders Alliance (CBA) and their efforts to do the joint reporting. I just received the email below and it appears that CBA is really moving forward with this, so I do recommend that Turtle Mtn (and other Native CDFI and like organizations) get involved with them. Good luck and I hope others share their responses on the Circle Up, so we all learn.... Thanks, Stewart Dear Stewart: Thank you for contacting CBA over the past year and letting us know you want to report to a major credit bureau. We are pleased to announce that the CBA Reporter is now providing client payment histories to Experian and is accepting applications from interested community lenders to join the alliance. Check out the new CBA Reporter section of our website to learn how your organization can get started. The online CBA Reporter Application is part of Step 5. CBA is also working closely with John Meredith of CommonGoals to help its lenders upgrade The Exceptional Assistant (TEA) with the software needed to meet industry standards. We are committed to making the process of reporting as streamlined and convenient as possible. We hope you are still interested in joining Credit Builders Alliance -- we are committed to helping you report to Experian. Please contact us with any questions. Thanks! John Russell Membership Manager Credit Builders Alliance P: (202) 730-9390 F: (240) 293-4895 www.creditbuildersalliance.org PLEASE NOTE THAT OUR PHONE NUMBER HAS CHANGED. ________________________________ From: circleup-bounces at lists.ournativecircle.org [mailto:circleup-bounces at lists.ournativecircle.org] On Behalf Of Chrystel Cornelius Sent: Thursday, June 21, 2007 2:33 PM To: circleup at lists.ournativecircle.org Subject: [CircleUp] Information requested regarding credit reporting As an emerging CDFI, the Turtle Mountain has not yet formally began lending practices; we are however in the process of finalizing the curriculum for providing financial literacy classes for our tribal members. My question is geared towards those institutions who are providing the above mentioned development services and pulling credit reports for their clients. I have been researching various companies that provide memberships that will enable us to pull credit reports, but I would like input from seasoned Native CDFI's on what has worked best for their establishments, and possible references on their current memberships with credit reporting providers. I am specifically interested in accessing the tri-merge reports, which incorporates information from all three major credit reporting agencies. Any assistance in this matter would be much appreciated. Chrystel Cornelius Executive Director Turtle Mountain CDFI (701) 477-5811 office (701) 477-9673 fax chrystel_aurora at msn.com ________________________________ Don't miss your chance to WIN $10,000 and other great prizes from Microsoft Office Live -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/circleup_lists.ournativecircle.org/attachments/20070622/737e04d2/ attachment.html ------------------------------ _______________________________________________ CircleUp mailing list CircleUp at lists.ournativecircle.org http://lists.ournativecircle.org/mailman/listinfo/circleup_lists.ournativeci rcle.org End of CircleUp Digest, Vol 1, Issue 12 *************************************** From stewart at oweesta.org Sat Jun 23 15:03:11 2007 From: stewart at oweesta.org (Stewart Sarkozy) Date: Sat, 23 Jun 2007 13:03:11 -0600 Subject: [CircleUp] A note on investing from a Native advisor: Survival.........don't ever, ever give up................ Message-ID: ________________________________ From: ChippewaPartners at aol.com [mailto:ChippewaPartners at aol.com] Sent: Saturday, June 23, 2007 12:55 PM To: TwoElkFund at aol.com Subject: Survival.........don't ever, ever give up................ Watch it all and watch it very closely................. http://glumbert.com/media/battlespecies I hope you were able to clearly detect all of the predators involved here. Death can come swift from many fronts both in life and in the markets. The lessons involving the stock market that can be gleaned from this video are many. Here are some you might want to consider. When you think you are right maintain conviction and go for the juglar and do it fast. Watch your flanks. Try to find you who and why they are selling to you. The big crowd can take you out by leaning on your position. The market is always right. Eventually the broad market is going to do whatever it wants to do. Don't get killed to trade another day. -- Posted By Dean Parisian to Dean Parisian Chippewa Partners at 6/22/2007 12:59:00 PM DEAN T. PARISIAN Chief Investment Officer CHIPPEWA PARTNERS Native American Advisors, Inc. Global - 877-772-1621 Office - 770.772.1621 www.chippewapartners.com Established 1995 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/circleup_lists.ournativecircle.org/attachments/20070623/ca294c80/attachment.html From stewart at oweesta.org Sat Jun 23 15:06:07 2007 From: stewart at oweesta.org (Stewart Sarkozy) Date: Sat, 23 Jun 2007 13:06:07 -0600 Subject: [CircleUp] Kitchen Incubators - an idea for Native business owners - For Women, a Recipe to Create a Successful Business Message-ID: Subject: NYTimes.com: For Women, a Recipe to Create a Successful Business BUSINESS / SMALL BUSINESS | June 23, 2007 For Women, a Recipe to Create a Successful Business By LAURA NOVAK A kitchen, known by the Spanish name La Cocina, is a shared-use space created two years ago to provide a platform for women entrepreneurs without assets. Copyright 2007 The New York Times Company | Privacy Policy -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/circleup_lists.ournativecircle.org/attachments/20070623/85c79830/attachment-0001.html From mskinner at assoceo.org Mon Jun 25 11:15:55 2007 From: mskinner at assoceo.org (Mike Skinner) Date: Mon, 25 Jun 2007 11:15:55 -0400 Subject: [CircleUp] Register Today for AEO's Rural Pathways: Building Regional Collaborations Message-ID: <99501F7335A11C4B963511717A1C320530BBFA@aeoex.AEO-VA2.local> On Thursday, June 28th, at 12:00 p.m. EDT, AEO will host Rural Pathways: Building Regional Collaborations, the second in a series of five webinars focusing on a range of strategies for supporting rural business and building pathways to thriving rural economies. Many of the most innovative and high impact strategies being explored by microenterprise development professionals, such as Access to Markets and Regional Flavors, require collaboration with many other organizations. Attend this webinar to: * Learn how cross-organizational collaborations and projects are different than projects you work on within your organization * Identify and rate potential partners in your region * Discover 3 basic skills needed for successful collaborations * Describe 3 types of collaborations and how to organize them for greatest impact To register for this webinar and to learn more about the other webinars in the Rural Pathways to Success series, visit http://www.microenterpriseworks.org/index.asp?bid=709 or contact Mike Skinner at mskinner at assoceo.org . Register right up to the event! Current participants of AEO's Kellogg-funded rural projects may be entitled to additional discounts and, before registering, should contact Natalie Woodroofe at nwoodroofe at assoceo.org for more information. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/circleup_lists.ournativecircle.org/attachments/20070625/5ffebeda/attachment.html From mike at atniedc.com Mon Jun 25 13:15:09 2007 From: mike at atniedc.com (Michael Burton) Date: Mon, 25 Jun 2007 10:15:09 -0700 Subject: [CircleUp] Information requested regarding credit reporting In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <87D21F69-8411-4CE4-BE39-EA1885626C13@atniedc.com> Hi Chrystel, I operate a small Revolving Loan Fund serving NW Tribes--$2 million capital currently. I've had problems in this regard 1) because I work out of my house and Equifax and Trans Union won't sell services unless the purchaser is a licensed business (we can cover that base) working out of a commercial place of business (that's where I run into trouble.) I was using an intermediary until I learned that they can only access corporate reports. Most of my borrowers are sole proprietors so again it doesn't work for me. Experian is OK with my business location but the fee structure becomes pretty steep when I will be revolving a few hundred thousand dollars annually. That's my problem #2. The fee per report is not a problem, but I think the base annual fee is something like $500. That seems like a lot compared to the ongoing activity I project. I may bite that bullet, but last week I was at Lummi talking to Mike Rawley there and he mentioned an effort at a cooperative approach. I'm interested in checking that out so am copying Mike. Maybe he can provide more information for us little guys. Michael Burton ATNI EDC/RLF 18230 Frost Rd. Dallas, OR 97338 503-917-0550 (v) 503-623-4714 (fax) On Jun 21, 2007, at 1:33 PM, Chrystel Cornelius wrote: > As an emerging CDFI, the Turtle Mountain has not yet formally began > lending practices; we are however in the process of finalizing the > curriculum for providing financial literacy classes for our tribal > members. > > My question is geared towards those institutions who are providing > the above mentioned development services and pulling credit reports > for their clients. I have been researching various companies that > provide memberships that will enable us to pull credit reports, but > I would like input from seasoned Native CDFI's on what has worked > best for their establishments, and possible references on their > current memberships with credit reporting providers. > > I am specifically interested in accessing the tri-merge reports, > which incorporates information from all three major credit > reporting agencies. > > Any assistance in this matter would be much appreciated. > > Chrystel Cornelius > Executive Director > Turtle Mountain CDFI > (701) 477-5811 office > (701) 477-9673 fax > chrystel_aurora at msn.com > > Don?t miss your chance to WIN $10,000 and other great prizes from > Microsoft Office Live > _______________________________________________ > CircleUp mailing list > CircleUp at lists.ournativecircle.org > http://lists.ournativecircle.org/mailman/listinfo/ > circleup_lists.ournativecircle.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/circleup_lists.ournativecircle.org/attachments/20070625/fd079631/attachment.html From mike at atniedc.com Mon Jun 25 13:21:21 2007 From: mike at atniedc.com (Michael Burton) Date: Mon, 25 Jun 2007 10:21:21 -0700 Subject: [CircleUp] Information requested regarding credit reporting In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <8F4A7D87-BB27-4D28-B329-38839AB0EC23@atniedc.com> Thanks Stewart, As usual I am behind the curve. Mike Burton On Jun 22, 2007, at 10:40 AM, Stewart Sarkozy wrote: > Chrystel (and everyone else)? besides the personal Native CDFI > reporting experience we discussed prior, I also mentioned Credit > Builders Alliance (CBA) and their efforts to do the joint > reporting. I just received the email below and it appears that CBA > is really moving forward with this, so I do recommend that Turtle > Mtn (and other Native CDFI and like organizations) get involved > with them. Good luck and I hope others share their responses on > the Circle Up, so we all learn?. Thanks, Stewart > > > > > > Dear Stewart: > > > > Thank you for contacting CBA over the past year and letting us know > you want to report to a major credit bureau. We are pleased to > announce that the CBA Reporter is now providing client payment > histories to Experian and is accepting applications from interested > community lenders to join the alliance. > > > > Check out the new CBA Reporter section of our website to learn how > your organization can get started. The online CBA Reporter > Application is part of Step 5. > > > > CBA is also working closely with John Meredith of CommonGoals to > help its lenders upgrade The Exceptional Assistant (TEA) with the > software needed to meet industry standards. We are committed to > making the process of reporting as streamlined and convenient as > possible. > > > > We hope you are still interested in joining Credit Builders > Alliance -- we are committed to helping you report to Experian. > Please contact us with any questions. > > > > Thanks! > > > > > > John Russell > > Membership Manager > > Credit Builders Alliance > > P: (202) 730-9390 > > F: (240) 293-4895 > > www.creditbuildersalliance.org > > > > PLEASE NOTE THAT OUR PHONE NUMBER HAS CHANGED. > > > > > > From: circleup-bounces at lists.ournativecircle.org [mailto:circleup- > bounces at lists.ournativecircle.org] On Behalf Of Chrystel Cornelius > Sent: Thursday, June 21, 2007 2:33 PM > To: circleup at lists.ournativecircle.org > Subject: [CircleUp] Information requested regarding credit reporting > > > > As an emerging CDFI, the Turtle Mountain has not yet formally began > lending practices; we are however in the process of finalizing the > curriculum for providing financial literacy classes for our tribal > members. > > > > My question is geared towards those institutions who are providing > the above mentioned development services and pulling credit reports > for their clients. I have been researching various companies that > provide memberships that will enable us to pull credit reports, but > I would like input from seasoned Native CDFI's on what has worked > best for their establishments, and possible references on their > current memberships with credit reporting providers. > > > > I am specifically interested in accessing the tri-merge reports, > which incorporates information from all three major credit > reporting agencies. > > > > Any assistance in this matter would be much appreciated. > > > > Chrystel Cornelius > > Executive Director > > Turtle Mountain CDFI > > (701) 477-5811 office > > (701) 477-9673 fax > > chrystel_aurora at msn.com > > > > Don?t miss your chance to WIN $10,000 and other great prizes from > Microsoft Office Live > > _______________________________________________ > CircleUp mailing list > CircleUp at lists.ournativecircle.org > http://lists.ournativecircle.org/mailman/listinfo/ > circleup_lists.ournativecircle.org Michael Burton ATNI EDC/RLF 18230 Frost Rd. Dallas, OR 97338 503-917-0550 (v) 503-623-4714 (fax) -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/circleup_lists.ournativecircle.org/attachments/20070625/10490f18/attachment-0001.html From mskinner at assoceo.org Tue Jun 26 11:45:17 2007 From: mskinner at assoceo.org (Mike Skinner) Date: Tue, 26 Jun 2007 11:45:17 -0400 Subject: [CircleUp] Proposal Deadline for Viva Los Micros: Reaching the Emerging Market of Latino Entrepreneurs Message-ID: <99501F7335A11C4B963511717A1C320530BC17@aeoex.AEO-VA2.local> This is a final reminder that this Friday, June 29th, is the deadline for submitting proposals to present sessions at "Viva Los Micros: Reaching the Emerging Market of Latino Entrepreneurs." The full Call for Presenters is set forth in full below. =========================================== On behalf of the California Association for Microenterprise Opportunity (CAMEO), the Association for Enterprise Opportunity (AEO) is pleased to issue this call for presenters for "Viva Los Micros: Reaching the Emerging Market of Latino Microentrepreneurs," a CAMEO regional training institute to be held in San Diego on October 16th and 17th. CAMEO offers high quality in-person and online training throughout the year. Over the past year, CAMEO members have expressed strong interest in learning ways to expand their capacity to serve the growing Latino community. Viva Los Micros is being co-developed by CAMEO and AEO to respond to this need. The Institute is already much anticipated and is expected to attract well over one hundred microenterprise development leaders and professionals in California and surrounding states. Proposals must include (1) a statement of your qualifications with respect to the proposed session, including prior training or speaking experience; (2) a narrative description and outline of the proposed session; and (3) the key learning objectives of the proposed session. Supplemental information will be requested if necessary. Presenters will receive a training fee and reimbursement for certain travel related expenses. The deadline for proposals is Friday, June 29th. Proposals must be emailed to Mike Skinner, AEO Program Officer - Strategic Education, at mskinner at assoceo.org , with a copy to Kim Jorstad, CAMEO's Managing Director, at kjorstad at microbiz.org . Special consideration will be given to session proposals covering the following topic areas: Best Practices: Microlending, Credit Scoring and Credit Evaluation Grids Business Planning and Business Plan Training Client Screening and Business Assessment Post-training Technical Assistance for Client Retention Marketing and Outreach: Building Clients through Trust and Empowerment Building Clients through Strategic Partnerships Mobilizing Resources: Fundraising for Programs Serving Latino Entrepreneurs Capacity Building through Networks, Mentors and Volunteers Challenges and Trends: Federal and State Policy and the Latino Entrepreneur Understanding the Needs of Your Community Understanding Diversity in the Latino Community Overcoming Racism and Anti-Immigrant Bias CAMEO (www.microbiz.org ) is a statewide association of 150 organizations, agencies, and individuals dedicated to furthering microenterprise development in California. CAMEO builds the capacity of practitioner organizations to better meet customer needs, and improves the working environment for microenterprise by educating the public and advocating on behalf of microenterprise development. CAMEO's mission is to increase opportunities for low-income people and communities by building the capacity of California's microenterprise organizations. AEO (www.microenterpriseworks.org ) is the national association of community-based organizations that provide entrepreneurial education, access to capital, and support to aspiring and active low-income entrepreneurs. AEO provides its members with a forum, information, and a voice to promote enterprise opportunity for people and communities with limited resources. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/circleup_lists.ournativecircle.org/attachments/20070626/f8da9dd8/attachment.html From staci at oweesta.org Tue Jun 26 13:48:52 2007 From: staci at oweesta.org (Staci Lacroix) Date: Tue, 26 Jun 2007 11:48:52 -0600 Subject: [CircleUp] Four Bands Community Fund and Tanya Fiddler featured in Black Hills Electric Cooperative Connections, July 2007 issue. Message-ID: Tanya Fiddler, Executive Director of Four Bands Community Fund featured in Black Hills Electric Cooperative Connections, July 2007 issue. Click on the attached file to view article. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/circleup_lists.ournativecircle.org/attachments/20070627/a13247f5/attachment-0001.html -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: July 07 - Tanya Fiddler article.pdf Type: application/octet-stream Size: 10250220 bytes Desc: July 07 - Tanya Fiddler article.pdf Url : /pipermail/circleup_lists.ournativecircle.org/attachments/20070627/a13247f5/attachment-0001.obj From mercierb at cdfi.treas.gov Wed Jun 27 13:57:34 2007 From: mercierb at cdfi.treas.gov (Mercier, Bryan) Date: Wed, 27 Jun 2007 13:57:34 -0400 Subject: [CircleUp] FW: Introducing the Wachovia Next Awards for Opportunity Finance Message-ID: <94089501F1F07B4CA5810B6F9720680801634CBA@email.cdfi.treas.gov> ________________________________ From: Mark Pinsky [mailto:markpinsky at opportunityfinance.net] Sent: Wednesday, June 27, 2007 1:52 PM To: Mercier, Bryan Subject: Introducing the Wachovia Next Awards for Opportunity Finance If you are unable to view the message below please click here to view on the Web. Opportunity Finance Network Public Ledger Building 620 Chestnut Street Suite 572 Philadelphia, PA 19106 P 215.923.4754 F 215.923.4755 www.nextawards.org Wachovia Next Awards Logo Good afternoon. I am writing to let you know that today we introduced an unprecedented new set of awards for CDFIs and invite you to learn more. The Wachovia NEXT Awards for Opportunity Finance in Partnership with the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is unique and extraordinary. Over the next five years, through the generous support of Wachovia and the MacArthur Foundation, we will award $41.75 million to 30 excellent CDFIs and, in the process, call broad public attention to the work that all CDFIs do. The Wachovia NEXT Awards will recognize six (6) excellent CDFIs each year: * Four (4) CDFIs will receive $25,000 Awards for Impact, Innovation, Financing, and Advocacy * One (1) CDFI with financing assets dedicated to lending of $10mm-$50mm will receive a $250,000 grant and a $2.5mm low-cost, long-term loan * One (1) CDFI with finacing assets dedicated to lending of more than $50mm will receive a $500,000 grant and a $5mm low-cost, long-term loan All of the Awards will be made through a competitive application process. The Awards also will help us promote the entire industry to create new opportunities for all CDFIs and to invite new investors, funders, and professionals to the field. We will present the first awards at the Opportunity Finance Conference in Miami (December 11-14, 2007). Here's how you can learn more: 1. Visit the new web site we have unveiled at www.nextawards.org. 2. Participate in one of the two Member teleconference calls we have scheduled: * Thursday, June 28th at 1:30 p.m. edt * Friday, June 29th at 1:30 p.m. edt 3. Watch for a letter and brochure inviting you to be part of this exciting step for the opportunity finance industry. To register to participate for the calls on Thursday or Friday, please e-mail Jacki Fox at jfox at opportunityfinance.net for call-in information. To sign up to receive notification when the online application goes live, visit www.nextawards.org. This message and any attachments may contain confidential or privileged information and are only for the use of the intended recipient of this message. If you are not the intended recipient, please notify the sender by return email, and delete or destroy this and all copies of this message and all attachments. Any unauthorized disclosure, use, distribution, reproduction or taking action in reliance upon this information by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited and may be unlawful. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/circleup_lists.ournativecircle.org/attachments/20070627/ef19b46a/attachment.html