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Wednesday, November 11, 2026Updated 4:37 PM ET
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Conservative news from the nation’s capital

Native America

On Monday on American Story with Joe Redhawk

Native Lender Oweesta Wins National Award While Chasing a $500 Million Goal for Indian Country

The Longmont, Colorado, nonprofit is the first Native CDFI to win the Opportunity Finance Network's top impact award.

Filed November 9, 2026 · 📍 CO 80501

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By Joe Redhawk · American Story · Reviewed by Esther Navarro · 1 min read

Key points

  • Oweesta is the first Native CDFI to win OFN's Adina Abramowitz Impact Award
  • The lender aims for $500 million in Indian Country lending by 2030; its portfolio is $74.4 million
  • Its partner network has created 14,000+ jobs and financed 1,200 homes

Oweesta Corporation, a Native community development lender based in Longmont, Colorado, has become the first Native CDFI to win the Opportunity Finance Network's Adina Abramowitz Impact Award. The honor was presented Oct. 22 in New Orleans [1].

Oweesta, led by CEO Chrystel Cornelius, has set a goal of putting $500 million in loans to work in Indian Country by 2030. Its portfolio stands at $74.4 million [1].

The lender works through a network of Native financial institutions, and those partners have created more than 14,000 jobs and financed 1,200 homes, according to Tribal Business News [1].

Community lenders like Oweesta fill a gap big banks often leave on reservations: small-business loans, first mortgages and the credit-building that turns a good idea into a storefront. It is private enterprise, built from the ground up.

Sources

1 report this article drew on
  1. [1]Opens in a new tab ↗
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