Native America
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.
By JOE REDHAWKStaff Correspondent · COLORADO · Nov 9, 10:30 AM · 1 min. read
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.
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.
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.
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
- Tribal Business News: Oweesta wins national CDFI award as it pursues $500M lending goal (link)
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