From staci at oweesta.org Mon May 23 10:59:07 2011 From: staci at oweesta.org (Staci Lacroix) Date: Mon, 23 May 2011 08:59:07 -0600 Subject: [CircleUp] Native Loan Fund Receives $400,000 Investment Message-ID: <82182B01DBD600448F4C7D2631BA1BFE0104FE00@SERVER1.fnoc.internal> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 17, 2011 Native Loan Fund Receives $400,000 Investment Honolulu, Hawaii - The Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement (CNHA), a nonprofit providing community development services, has received a commitment for a $400,000 investment by the First Nations Oweesta Corporation headquartered in Longmont, Colorado. The capital investment is dedicated to CNHA's community loan fund to expand its renewable energy loan program where solar water heating systems have been installed on over 150 Native Hawaiian homes in the state of Hawaii. "We are so grateful for this show of confidence by Oweesta in the innovative capital strategies being deployed here in Hawaii," said Robin Puanani Danner, CNHA President. "This investment provides a powerful boost to the momentum of our Hawaiian Energy Program, to convert entire neighborhoods to solar, one house at a time. Truly an incredible partnership that brings new capital to our state for our mutual mission of serving indigenous populations, but also one that stimulates the economy through all of the jobs that are created every time a solar system goes up on a roof." Over 6 years ago, Oweesta was instrumental in providing training and technical assistance to CNHA in analyzing the feasibility of operating a community based loan fund to reach underserved families across the state. As a result, CNHA developed a business plan, executed the complex components of operating a loan fund, and began lending in 2009. In 2010, the U.S. Treasury Department issued a certification of CNHA as a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) under its CDFI Fund program, and awarded the nonprofit with a small operating grant of $150,000. Since then, CNHA has deployed $1.1 million in loan capital under its portfolio of small business, consumer and interim construction loan products. "Oweesta is very excited about the growth and capacity of CNHA to deliver capital to the Native people of Hawaii," said Jon Panamaroff, Oweesta Corporation. "It's truly great to see a Native CDFI in Hawaii working hand in hand with communities. We're proud to make an investment not only in CNHA, but in its work in the state of Hawaii." The CNHA governing board, under the leadership of Alvin Parker, the CNHA Chairman, will act on the strategic plan developed for the $400,000 investment on how each dollar will be deployed, as well as timeline targets for the nonprofit loan fund to meet. "Access to capital will always be a critical factor in our Hawaiian communities," Parker said. "This investment grows our ability to make sure that Hawaiian households are fully able to participate in the renewable energy transformation needed in Hawaii, and to reduce monthly energy costs that will indeed assist families in these economic times." First Nations Oweesta Corporation is a subsidiary of the First Nations Development Institute, founded to increase access to capital by American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian communities. As the only national intermediary Native CDFI certified by the U.S. Treasury, Oweesta makes capital investments in certified or emerging Native CDFI's around the country. For more information visit www.oweesta.org or contact Jon Panamaroff, Chief Operating Officer, at 303.774.8838 or jon at oweesta.org. CNHA, founded in 2001, is a Hawaii nonprofit delivering loan fund services, affordable housing and small business assistance, and administers the Hawaiian Way Fund to support cultural practitioners and next generation leaders. For more information visit www.hawaiiancouncil.org or contact 808.596.8155. Pilamaya (Thank you) Staci LaCroix Information Resource Manager 910 5th Street, Suite 101 Rapid City, SD 57701 Business phone (605)342-3770 Business fax (605)342-3771 staci at oweesta.org Celebrating 10 Years of Investing in Native Opportunity! This email message is solely for the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not an intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and delete the original message. P Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... 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Name: not available Type: image/jpeg Size: 5443 bytes Desc: image002.jpg Url : /pipermail/circleup_lists.ournativecircle.org/attachments/20110523/a4e531a3/attachment-0003.jpe From banosaur at hotmail.com Mon May 23 12:17:26 2011 From: banosaur at hotmail.com (Stewart Sarkozy-Banoczy) Date: Mon, 23 May 2011 16:17:26 +0000 Subject: [CircleUp] Fw: CDFI Fund News: 2011 Native Economic Development Workshop Series Open for Registration Message-ID: <1081485779-1306167447-cardhu_decombobulator_blackberry.rim.net-940763880-@b12.c5.bise6.blackberry> Stewart Sarkozy-Banoczy -----Original Message----- From: "CDFI Fund, US Department of the Treasury" Date: Mon, 23 May 2011 09:11:59 To: Reply-To: "CDFI Fund, US Department of the Treasury" Subject: CDFI Fund News: 2011 Native Economic Development Workshop Series Open for Registration 2011 Native Economic Development Workshop Series Open for Registration [ http://www.cdfifund.gov/news_events/CDFI-2011-08-2011-Native-Economic-Development-Workshop-Series-Open-for-Registration.asp ] [ http://www.cdfifund.gov/news_events/CDFI-2011-08-2011-Native-Economic-Development-Workshop-Series-Open-for-Registration.asp ]May 23, 2011 Right-click here to download pictures. To help protect your privacy, Outlook prevented automatic download of this picture from the Internet. CDFI Fund 15th Anniversary Logo *2011 Native Economic Development Workshop Series Open for Registration* *Washington**, DC*--The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI Fund) is proud to announce an expanded and enhanced intergovernmental workshop series to promote economic development in Native American communities across the country. Titled "Growing Economies in Indian Country: Taking Stock of Progress and Partnerships", the workshop series builds upon last year's efforts of the CDFI Fund and the Federal Reserve by drawing multiple federal partners and local stakeholders into the discussion about best economic and community development practices for Native communities. Registration for these workshops opens today. The workshops will focus on three key subject areas--governance and infrastructure, small business finance, and general economic development issues--and are designed to provide networking opportunities with regional, state, and local economic and community development professionals. In addition, workshop participants will be encouraged to: * Share their views and identify existing challenges to economic development in Indian Country; * Identify best practices and solutions that address these challenges; and * Discuss and learn about federal and regional Native economic development initiatives and programs that are aimed at providing assistance to tribal governments and tribal and independent businesses. The one-day workshops are being conducted by the CDFI Fund, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, and the Federal Reserve Banks of San Francisco, Minneapolis, Chicago, and Boston, along with other federal agencies. The dates and locations for the 2011 workshops follow: June 28, 2011 Phoenix, Arizona July 19, 2011 San Diego, California July 21, 2011 Portland, Oregon August 30, 2011 Billings, Montana September 20, 2011 Bangor, Maine September 22, 2011 Lac de Flambeau, Wisconsin "The "Growing Economies in Indian Country" workshop series will continue the efforts of the CDFI Fund and our partners to draw attention to and discuss solutions for the economic development needs in distressed Native communities," said CDFI Fund Director Donna J. Gambrell. "Last year's workshops successfully brought key stakeholders in economic and community development together to network and strategize local solutions. This year's workshops will continue that successful model while expanding to include new federal agency participation and a broader schedule of workshops for organizations to attend." "The Federal Reserve System is pleased to join federal agency partners in organizing this series of economic development workshops," said Federal Reserve Board Governor Elizabeth A. Duke. "Workshop participants will share information and perspectives on strategies to meet the short- and long-term needs of Indian Country. The series will build upon the work of our regional Federal Reserve Banks of San Francisco, Minneapolis, Chicago and Boston to support local economic development opportunities in Native American communities." The workshops are free; however, advance registration is required. For more information about the series, and to register for a specific workshop please visit http://www.frbsf.org/community/resources/2011/0601-Growing-Economies-in-Indian-Country/index.html [ http://www.frbsf.org/community/resources/2011/0601-Growing-Economies-in-Indian-Country/index.html ] [ http://www.cdfifund.gov/news_events/CDFI-2011-08-2011-Native-Economic-Development-Workshop-Series-Open-for-Registration.asp ]. The following federal agencies are partnering with the CDFI Fund and the Federal Reserve System at this time: * U.S. Department of Agriculture, Rural Development; * U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of the Secretary and Economic Development Administration; * U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Native Americans; * U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Native American Programs; * U.S. Department of Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Indian Energy and Economic Development; * U.S. Small Business Administration, Office of Native American Affairs; * Office of the Comptroller of the Currency; and * Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation *About the CDFI Fund* Since its creation in 1994, the CDFI Fund has awarded almost $1.3 billion to CDFIs, community development organizations and financial institutions through CDFI Program, the Bank Enterprise Award Program, and the Native Initiatives. In addition, the CDFI Fund has allocated $29.5 billion in tax credit authority to Community Development Entities through the New Markets Tax Credit Program. *About the CDFI Fund's Native Initiatives* Through its Native Initiatives the CDFI Fund works to increase access to credit, capital, and financial services in communities by creating and expanding CDFIs primarily serving Native communities. This is achieved through two principle initiatives: (1) a funding program - the Native American CDFI Assistance Program, or NACA Program - targeted to increasing the number and capacity of existing or new Native CDFIs; and (2) training programs under the CDFI Fund's Capacity Building Initiative that seeks to foster the development of new Native CDFIs, strengthen the operational capacity of existing Native CDFIs, and guide Native CDFIs in the creation of important financial education and asset building programs for their communities. For more information about the CDFI Fund or its Native Initiatives, please visit: www.cdfifund.gov [ http://www.cdfifund.gov/ ]. *About Community Development at the Federal Reserve System* The Federal Reserve's Community Development function was established in 1981 to help financial institutions meet their obligations under the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA). The System's Community Development offices across the country -- composed of more than 120 employees -- perform many functions, including: .. Helping banks identify regional credit needs and lending opportunities in low- and moderate-income (LMI) communities; .. Forging partnerships and sharing information to promote sustainable community development; .. Producing research and data analysis to help close gaps in information needed to improve the economic strength of LMI communities; and . Providing information and promoting awareness of investment opportunities for financial institutions, government agencies, and organizations that serve these communities. By furnishing valuable information on the dynamics of LMI communities, Community Development complements the Federal Reserve System's work as a research institution. For more information, visit www.federalreserve.gov/communitydev/default.htm [ http://www.federalreserve.gov/communitydev/default.htm ]. ________________________________________________________________________ You can update your subscriptions, modify your password or e-mail address, or stop subscriptions at any time through your Subscriber Preferences Page [ https://service.govdelivery.com/service/user.html?code=USTREASCDFI ]. You will need to use your e-mail address to log in. If you have questions or problems with the subscription service, please e-mail support at govdelivery.com. This service is provided to you at no charge by CDFI Fund [ http://www.cdfifund.gov/ ], US Department of the Treasury. Bookmark and Share [ http://sharing.govdelivery.com/bulletins/GD/USTREASCDFI-14C4AF ] GovDelivery, Inc. is sending you this communication on behalf of the CDFI Fund, US Department of the Treasury . 601 Thirteenth Street, NW, Suite 200 South . Washington DC 20005 . (800) 439-1420 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/circleup_lists.ournativecircle.org/attachments/20110523/e7f75ed1/attachment-0001.html From staci at oweesta.org Thu May 26 13:34:55 2011 From: staci at oweesta.org (Staci Lacroix) Date: Thu, 26 May 2011 11:34:55 -0600 Subject: [CircleUp] FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Three more Native Community Development Financial Institutions are certified by the CDFI Fund Message-ID: <82182B01DBD600448F4C7D2631BA1BFE0104FE50@SERVER1.fnoc.internal> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Three more Native Community Development Financial Institutions are certified by the CDFI Fund LONGMONT, Colorado (May 26, 2011) - First Nations Oweesta Corporation is proud to announce that three Native CDFIs, Aleutian Financial, The Indian Land Capital Company, and Turtle Mountain Community Development Financial Institution have been officially announced by the CDFI Fund as newly certified CDFIs. "We are excited and pleased that three more of our CDFI partners received certification," said Jon Panamaroff, chief operating officer and director of lending operations for Oweesta. Panamaroff also shared, "This brings the total Native CDFIs to 62, which is a major increase from there being only two Native CDFIs 10 years ago." Aleutian Financial Incorporated in 2007, Aleutian Financial provides housing and small business loans to the remote Native Alaskan community located in the Aleutian Islands, Alaska. Development services offered include online courses on personal finance management, classroom courses on business development and homebuyer education, and one-on-one coaching for potential business owners. "The people of the Aleutian Pribilof Islands Region are among the most underbanked and isolated communities in the United States. We are truly honored to join the growing numbers of community development financial institutions serving our Native Americans," said Lori Canady, president and CEO of Aleutian Financial. For more information on Aleutian Financial, visit their website at http://aleutian-financial.com/ . Indian Land Capital Company Incorporated in 2005, Indian Land Capital Company (ILCC) lends to tribal governments to finance land acquisition and management. Development services offered include one-on-one technical assistance to applicants and borrowers, including the development of land acquisition plans, strategies, and management systems. "We have worked hard at creating a viable business model and the CDFI Fund certification will allow us to continue important partnerships with groups such as the Oweesta Corporation, which provides capital to Native CDFIs, to take place," said Gerald Sherman, president and CEO of Indian Land Capital Company. Sherman also added "It will help ILCC bring more financial resources to play in the increasingly robust economic activity currently spreading throughout Indian Country." For more information on the Indian Land Capital Company, visit their website at www.ilcc.net . Turtle Mountain Community Development Financial Institution Incorporated in 2008, the Turtle Mountain CDFI was created to establish and expand financial development services to the members of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians. Financial products offered include a range of loans designed to build credit, develop small businesses, and assist homeowners. In order to be eligible for loans, all clients are required to attend financial literacy courses. "Our organization is very pleased to receive the news on our formal certification from the Department of Treasury," said Chrystel Cornelius, executive director of Turtle Mountain CDFI. Cornelius shared her thoughts on the ways in which the Turtle Mountain CDFI helps the tribal community, "Since our inception, we have worked diligently to respond to the needs of our community by offering lending products and services that will have the greatest impact on our tribal membership. With the formal certification issued for the Turtle Mountain CDFI, it really is a testament of our tribal members' success and hard work given the opportunity, in which we are honored to have been able to provide." For more information on the Turtle Mountain CDFI, visit their website at http://tmp2p.com/CDFI.html . CONTACT: Vicky Stott, Director of Communications (303) 774-7836 vstott at firstnations.org ### Pilamaya (Thank you) Staci LaCroix Information Resource Manager 910 5th Street, Suite 101 Rapid City, SD 57701 Business phone (605)342-3770 Business fax (605)342-3771 staci at oweesta.org Celebrating 10 Years of Investing in Native Opportunity! This email message is solely for the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not an intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and delete the original message. P Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/circleup_lists.ournativecircle.org/attachments/20110526/dc80c7b6/attachment-0001.html -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/jpeg Size: 5443 bytes Desc: image001.jpg Url : /pipermail/circleup_lists.ournativecircle.org/attachments/20110526/dc80c7b6/attachment-0001.jpe