“Mazaska was selected from a highly competitive group of Native CDFI nominees and was awarded for their hard work and dedication in working with their community members to support asset building through homeownership, building key partnerships close to home and farther away to support their work, and bringing in diverse sources of capital to then invest in their communities,” shared Chrystel Cornelius, Oweesta Executive Director. (Read Native Business Magazine’s interview with Cornelius: “Oweesta’s $10M Native CDFI Capital Pool to Fund Growth in Indian Country“.)
Visionary Leader Award: Tawney BrunschThe Visionary Leader Award for Outstanding Achievement recognizes a person who has made a long‐ term contribution to the Native CDFI industry and whose local financing and asset building efforts make them an inspiration for others. Tawney Brunsch, Executive Director of The Lakota Funds (TLF), is a trailblazing visionary leader exemplifying a level of commitment to the Native CDFI industry and TLF, where she has served as Executive Director since 2010. She has led TLF through many history-making accomplishments and is a tireless advocate for the Lakota people and for capital access throughout Indian Country. She was a founding board member for the Native CDFI Network and currently serves on Mazaska’s Board. She Chairs the Credit Committee for the Council for Native American Farmers and Ranchers and serves on the Federal Home Loan Bank’s Advisory Council. Tawney is also actively involved with the South Dakota Native Homeownership Coalition (SDNHC), where she chairs the Physical Issues Committee and serves on the Executive and Veterans Committees.Under Ms. Brunsch’s leadership, Lakota Funds started the Lakota Federal Credit Union (LFCU), the first federally-insured financial institution on the Pine Ridge Reservation, which as of 2018 also offers checking accounts (250 people opened one in the first two weeks). TLF has also developed an innovative partnership with Lakota Federal Credit Union and First Peoples Fund to take services to communities throughout the reservation with the Rolling Rez. Rolling Rez is a mobile unit which delivers financial literacy training, artist business development training, and financial services through Lakota Federal Credit Union and allows TLF to reach the most marginalized individuals in all 9 reservation districts.In 2017, TLF deployed over $1.1 million in loans, creating 105 jobs and starting or expanding 46 small businesses on the Pine Ridge Reservation. They helped prepare 326 tax returns returning almost $900K in tax refunds to Tribal members. In fall 2015, TLF was the first Native CDFI approved as a USDA Farm Service Agency guaranteed lender. This allowed TLF to offer more financing solutions for reservation farmers and ranchers. TLF has also seen growing assets totaling over $6 million and in early 2018, the organization was approved to participate in the first-ever Native Capital pool through Oweesta.Additionally, growing efforts to increase residential housing stock have led to increased demand for contractors and local inspectors on the reservation but the largest barrier is lack of a qualified workforce. In summer 2017, TLF partnered with SDNHC, Oglala Lakota College, and Four Bands Community Fund on the Cheyenne River Reservation in South Dakota to launch the Construction Internship Pilot. This innovative program delivered an intensive hands-on work experience to participants from the Cheyenne River and Pine Ridge Reservations. Twenty-three students from both Reservations participated in the program, in partnership with local contractors. Upon completion of the program, nine local students received offers of permanent employment. To further support contractor business development, TLF also provided two home inspector certification trainings and contractor workshops to build skills for the validation process required when building using HUD 184 funds. More than 70 people attended the inspector certification trainings, several whom either obtained jobs or started their own home inspection business upon certification.
“Tawney Brunsch is a true example of how hard work, dedication, collaboration, and innovation come together to best serve the community. Tawney’s persistent pursuit of doing better and creating more opportunities for her clients is what we all aspire to do in the Native CDFI industry and I feel so honored to have the chance to celebrate such a strong leader,” added Chrystel Cornelius, Oweesta Executive Director, First Nations Oweesta Corporation. “We are genuinely excited to honor the success of our award winners. And we appreciate OFN for recognizing the achievements of these recipients.” (Native Business Magazine also featured Cornelius in the article: “Celebrating 10 Native Disruptors on Indigenous Peoples’ Day.”)
“Congratulations to this year’s wonderful Native Award winners. OFN values the opportunity to recognize Mazaska and Tawney for their amazing and dedicated work serving Native communities,” said Lisa Mensah, President and CEO of Opportunity Finance Network (OFN), a leading national network of CDFIs. “Each year, OFN is impressed by the positive economic impact of the Circle of Honor and Visionary Leader award recipients. And both of these remarkable honorees are at the forefront of positive change in their respective communities.”The awards ceremony capped off the 15th Annual Native Convening in conjunction with the 34th Annual OFN Conference where Native economic development practitioners and Tribal representatives from across the country joined hundreds of other opportunity finance experts to share and learn about new ideas, strategies for change, and innovations from the field.
