News

ONAC Announces National Grant Awards in Support of 

Native Asset-Building Efforts

The Oklahoma Native Assets Coalition, Inc. (ONAC), a national Native-led nonprofit, announces that it awarded $205,000 in invitation-only subgrants to twenty Native Volunteer Income Tax Assistance sites during this recently-concluded tax season to assist them in providing Native-led tax preparation services for their tribal communities. The twenty grant awards represent the largest number of grant awards made in the country, during this tax season, by one grantor in support of Native VITA sites. As a national intermediary grant funder, ONAC was able to make these awards through the support of the Wells Fargo Foundation with additional funding from the Bank of America Charitable Foundation. To support this VITA initiative and ONAC's other programs, ONAC also received general operating resources from The Kresge Foundation and the Target Foundation. ONAC is grateful for this generous support and believes that funding Native VITA programs is a crucial piece of its efforts to provide integrated asset-building services in Native communities. 

These grant awards are part of ONAC's ongoing coordination of the only nationally-focused Native Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)/Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Network. ONAC organizes this Network to provide resources and peer learning exchanges among Native VITA practitioners and related supporters throughout the country. As part of ONAC's coordination of the Network, ONAC serves on the national Taxpayer Opportunity Network (TON) Steering Committee and is in regular communication with IRS staff and other national entities working on EITC outreach and VITA. For those interested in joining the ONAC Native EITC/VITA Network, with coordination led by Patsy Schramm (Cherokee Nation) of ONAC, please complete the following online registration form: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ONACVITA.

ONAC congratulates the following ONAC 2024 Native VITA mini-grant awardees on a successful tax season: 

1. Cherokee Nation Commerce Services (Tahlequah, Oklahoma)
   
2. Chief Dull Knife College (Lame Deer, Montana)
   
3. Community Development Financial Institution of the Tohono O'odham Nation (Sells, Arizona)
   
4. Duck Valley Housing Authority (Owyhee, Nevada)
   
5. Fallon Paiute Shoshone Tribe (Fallon, Nevada)
   
6. Four Directions Development Corporation (Orono, Maine)
   
7. Lakota Funds (Kyle, South Dakota)
   
8. Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi (Fulton, Michigan)
   
9. Pueblo of Acoma Housing Authority (Pueblo of Acoma, New Mexico)
   
10. Shoshone-Bannock Tribes of the Fort Hall Indian Reservation (Fort Hall, Idaho)
    
11. Stockbridge-Munsee Community Band of Mohican Indians (Bowler, Wisconsin)
    
12. The Chickasaw Nation (Ada, Oklahoma)
    
13. The Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin (Keshena, Wisconsin)
    
14. The Muscogee Nation (Okmulgee, Oklahoma)
    
15. Tlingit Haida Regional Housing Authority (Juneau, Alaska)
    
16. Walker River Paiute Tribe (Schurz, Nevada)
    
17. Warm Springs Community Action Team (Warm Springs, Oregon)
    
18. White Earth Investment Initiative (Ogema, Minnesota) 
    
19. White Mountain Apache Housing Authority (Whiteriver, Arizona)
    
20. Ysleta del Sur Pueblo (El Paso, Texas)
    

Since 2014, ONAC has awarded a total of 105 grants ($868,900 total) to tribes and Native nonprofits in support of their asset-building programs. Grant awards have been made in Alaska, Arizona, Connecticut, Idaho, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, and Wisconsin. As additional resources are secured, ONAC will continue to expand grant support in other states. ONAC appreciates the partnerships with these grantees and all their work to build assets in Native communities. 

The importance of Native VITA programs: 

Native VITA services are crucial as this free tax preparation is offered by trusted sources in local Native communities. For those without broadband access and affordable devices on which to complete online tax returns, in-person Native VITA services help tribal citizens to claim their tax credits and to use tax time as asset-building time. ONAC will receive the data reports from the 2024 grantees this fall (as some offer year-round VITA services). To convey the impact of Native VITA services, ONAC can report on the data from twenty grantees in 2023. Those twenty ONAC grantees served 12,235 tribal citizens and helped them claim $19,670,489 in federal tax refunds. Of those 12,235 tribal citizens, 3,450 individuals claimed $6,618,538 through the EITC and 2,561 families claimed $4,413,077 through the Child Tax Credit (CTC). It is important to note that these funds went directly to Native VITA clientele, in full, without any filing fees.

About the Oklahoma Native Assets Coalition, Inc.: 

The Oklahoma Native Assets Coalition (ONAC), started in 2001, is a national Native-led nonprofit that works with tribes and partners interested in establishing asset-building initiatives and programs in Native communities, for the purpose of creating greater economic opportunities for economic self-sufficiency of tribal citizens. ONAC is an intermediary funder, grassroots network coordinator, and also a direct service provider that works with Native families to build their assets through ONAC's provision of Native-specific financial education and financial coaching, as well as funding of Children's Savings Accounts (CSAs), Emergency Savings Accounts (ESAs), down payment assistance, incentivized Bank On accounts, and emergency cash assistance. 

The mission of ONAC is to build and support a network of Native people who are dedicated to increasing self-sufficiency and prosperity in their communities through the establishment of integrated and culturally relevant financial education and financial coaching initiatives, as well as seed-funded account programs, down payment assistance, EITC outreach, free tax preparation, expanded banking access, and other asset-building strategies. 

Asset-building programs often simultaneously address family economic security, food sovereignty, financial literacy, and preservation of Native languages and arts. ONAC believes strongly in the importance of creating programming that incorporates Native worldviews, traditions, arts, and languages into Native asset-building efforts. 

For further information: 

Contact Christy Finsel, Ph.D., (Osage Nation), ONAC Executive Director, cfinsel@oknativeassets.org. Also, see https://www.oknativeassets.org.

Greetings! A friendly reminder that ONAC offers free financial coaching (by phone and teleconference) to American Indians and Alaska Natives, regardless of where they reside in the U.S. Here is the registration link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ONACcounselingregistration 

From June 2020 to present, 963 tribal citizens (from 156 tribal nations and 41 states) have registered for the coaching.  

This coaching may be helpful to tribal citizens who are working on their annual budget. Other coaching participants may find the coaching helpful as they prepare to purchase a home or to build or repair their credit. Once registrants have started the financial coaching, they are invited to participate in additional asset-building programs. 

Thank you for all your assistance to help share information about this program. ONAC is grateful to the Wells Fargo Foundation and the Chickasaw Nation for their financial support of the ONAC financial coaching program.

The Oklahoma Native Assets Coalition, Inc. and First Nations Development Institute are pleased to announce a spring Building Native Communities: Financial Skills for Families Virtual Train-the-Trainer Workshop on May 14-16, 2024.

Back by popular demand and with generous support from the FINRA Investor Education Foundation and the Wells Fargo Foundation, this three-day financial education certification* workshop will feature in-depth instruction on the 5th Edition BNC Financial Skills for Families curriculum with an emphasis on strategies and solutions for both virtual and in-person settings. This training is an ideal fit for trainers, financial counselors, asset-building specialists, and anyone else looking for unique financial education capacity building training. Featured topics include: spending plans and goal setting, credit reports, fraud awareness, negotiating big ticket purchases, and much more. There is no cost to attend this training; however, space is limited so please reserve your spot today by registering today. 

*Following the workshop participants will have until Friday, May 17, 2024, to complete the online certification exam.  

Event: Building Native Communities Virtual Train-the-Trainer Workshop

When: May 14th, 15th, and 16th, 2024

            1:30 PM to 4:30 PM CST (all days)

The agenda is attached.

For more information, contact Shawn Spruce (agoyopi@gmail.com or 505-917-0709) or Christy Finsel (cfinsel@oknativeassets.org or 405-720-0770).

The Oklahoma Native Assets Coalition, Inc. (ONAC) has partnered with IRS Stakeholder Partnerships, Education, and Communication (SPEC) and agreed to post a link on our website to On-Line Taxes, Inc. 

For the next tax season, if you are a filing a simple return, you are invited to file your federal return, for free, by using this On-Line Taxes, Inc. link: https://www.olt.com/main/vita/getstarted.php?affiliate=VITAFREE&linkID=S27091832

Please note: If you, or someone you know, have an adjusted gross income of $45,000 or less, you may complete your federal and state returns for free, via On-Line Taxes, Inc. If you are over income, the federal return is free and each state return is $9.95. 

For those wishing to file via a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) site, you may search for sites near you at https://www.irs.gov/individuals/free-tax-return-preparation-for-qualifying-taxpayers. 

After you select the link above, scroll down to Find a VITA or Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) Site Near You. You will need to use both the VITA/TCE Locator Tool, as well as the AARP Tax-Aide Site Locator Tools to obtain a complete list. 

Yesterday, ONAC participated in the T25 Indigenous-led Funds Webinar. ONAC was grateful to Integrated Capital Investing for the opportunity to speak with the others on the panel about our national work, understandings of culturally relevant Native asset building, relationships with multiple public/private partners, plans for a revolving loan fund, and need for capital. We are happy to continue the conversation from yesterday with those interested in supporting Native-led asset-building efforts. 

Here are the bios and resources. Also, here is the link to the recording from the webinar. 

Video Conferencing, Web Conferencing, Webinars, Screen Sharing us02web.zoom.us

Earlier this year, ONAC was selected as one of 25 funds across the United States that are focused on integrated capital (Transformative 25, https://iciaptos.com/the-transformative-25/). ONAC is grateful for inclusion in this annual list of funds. 

Last year, ONAC received a generous anonymous $1,000,000 donation. As a nationally-focused Native-led nonprofit, we continue to administer seven Native asset-building programs. Soon, by leveraging a portion of the anonymous donation, we will also launch a revolving loan fund that we are calling the ONAC Fund. ONAC plans to start small and offer loans to participants in the ONAC financial coaching program who have expressed a need for capital. 

We invite you to participate in a webinar on August 30^th where ONAC will speak more about how we plan to connect borrowers to the other wrap-around asset-building programs we currently administer (such as seed-funded Children's Savings Accounts and emergency savings accounts, Native-specific financial education, connections to Native VITA programs, down payment assistance, banking access, free financial coaching, etc.).

To learn more about several of the Native-led funds in this Transformative 25 cohort (including ONAC's Fund), please see the webinar registration information below. We hope you will join us!

Indigenous-led Funds: a Transformative 25 Event 

Join us on August 30th at 11 am PDT / 2 pm EST where we will hear from Indigenous-led fund leaders about their work and contributions to transforming finance for people and the planet. Vanessa Roanhorse, Roanhorse Consulting & Native Women Lead (a T25 2022 Fund), will moderate. 

Featuring: 

• ONAC Fund 
• IndigiDAO, New Mexico Community Capital (NMCC) 
• Navajo Power, Public Benefit Corporation (PBC) 

• Gouts Lakawoulh Hiwechk Fund, Wiyot Tribe Dishagamu Community Land Trust 

  The Transformative 25 is an annual list of funds, banks and initiatives that are demonstrating the power of integrated capital to reimagine the finance system to work for people and the planet. The list highlights the work of funds employing integrated capital, using creative financial tools, that focus on social, relational, and ecological returns, and that engage with ownership and governance for equity. 
  
  No-fee tickets are available for students and those with limited resources. All are welcome. Please email Caroline Simms at caroline.sims.va@gmail.com for an access code. 
  
  Hosted by Jen Astone, Principle at Integrated Capital Investing and Chair, Transformative 25, a non-profit fiscally sponsored by Possibility Labs 
  

  Link to T25 Indigenous-led Funds webinar on August 30 https://bit.ly/Indigenous-led 

Access to Affordable Bank Accounts in  

North and South Dakota 

Webinar

Thursday, August 24, 2023  

 10:00 AM to 11:30 PM CDT  

 

 This webinar will provide an overview of the FDIC National Survey of Unbanked and underbanked households and other resources, highlight research from the Cities for Financial Empowerment (CFE) Fund, and discuss the need to broaden access to low-cost bank accounts that meet CFE National Account Standards in North and South Dakota.  Banks that offer these accounts will discuss their experiences and best practices. 

 

Native Bank On ONAC (Oklahoma Native Assets Coalition) will highlight their efforts to increase the number of Native-owned and Native-serving financial institutions that offer low-cost certified accounts. 

 Here are the ONAC webinar slides.

Access to Affordable Bank Accounts in  

North and South Dakota 

Webinar

Thursday, August 24, 2023  

 10:00 AM to 11:30 PM CDT  

 

 This webinar will provide an overview of the FDIC National Survey of Unbanked and underbanked households and other resources, highlight research from the Cities for Financial Empowerment (CFE) Fund, and discuss the need to broaden access to low-cost bank accounts that meet CFE National Account Standards in North and South Dakota.  Banks that offer these accounts will discuss their experiences and best practices. 

 

Native Bank On ONAC (Oklahoma Native Assets Coalition) will highlight their efforts to increase the number of Native-owned and Native-serving financial institutions that offer low-cost certified accounts. 

 

Click Here to Register 

June 20, 2023

The Oklahoma Native Assets Coalition, Inc. (ONAC), a national Native-led nonprofit, announces that it awarded $216,500 in invitation-only sub-grants to twenty Native Volunteer Income Tax Assistance sites during this recently-concluded tax season to assist them in providing Native-led tax preparation services for their tribal communities.  

The twenty grant awards represent the largest number of grant awards made in the country, during this tax season, by one grantor in support of Native VITA sites. 

As a national intermediary grant funder, ONAC was able to make these awards through the support of the Wells Fargo Foundation with additional funding from the Bank of America Charitable Foundation. To support this VITA initiative and ONAC’s other programs, ONAC also received general operating resources from The Kresge Foundation, the Target Foundation, and JPMorgan Chase & Co. ONAC is grateful for this generous support and believes that funding Native VITA programs is a crucial piece of its efforts to provide integrated asset-building services in Native communities. 

These grant awards are part of ONAC’s ongoing coordination of the only nationally-focused Native Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)/Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Network. ONAC organizes this Network to provide resources and peer learning exchanges among Native VITA practitioners and related supporters throughout the country. As part of ONAC’s coordination of the Network, ONAC serves on the national Taxpayer Opportunity Network (TON) Steering Committee and is in regular communication with IRS staff and other national entities working on EITC outreach and VITA. For those interested in joining the ONAC Native EITC/VITA Network, with coordination led by Patsy Schramm (Cherokee Nation) of ONAC, please complete the following online registration form: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ONACVITA.

ONAC congratulates the following ONAC 2023 Native VITA mini-grant awardees on a successful tax season: 

• Cherokee Nation Commerce Services (Tahlequah, Oklahoma)
  
• Community Development Financial Institution of the Tohono O’odham Nation (Sells, Arizona)
  
• Fallon Paiute Shoshone Tribe (Fallon, Nevada)
  
• Four Bands Community Fund, Inc. (Eagle Butte, South Dakota)
  
• Four Directions Development Corporation (Orono, Maine)
  
• Lakota Funds (Kyle, South Dakota)
  
• Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation (Mashantucket, Connecticut)
  
• People’s Partner for Community Development (Lame Deer, Montana)
  
• Pueblo of Acoma Housing Authority (Pueblo of Acoma, New Mexico)
  
• Sitting Bull College (Fort Yates, North Dakota, and McLaughlin and Mobridge, South Dakota)
  
• Shoshone-Bannock Tribes of the Fort Hall Indian Reservation (Fort Hall, Idaho)
  
• Stockbridge-Munsee Community Band of Mohican Indians (Bowler, Wisconsin)
  
• The Chickasaw Nation (Ada, Oklahoma)
  
• The Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin (Keshena, Wisconsin)
  
• The Muscogee Nation (Okmulgee, Oklahoma)
  
• Tlingit Haida Regional Housing Authority (Juneau, Alaska)
  
• Warm Springs Community Action Team (Warm Springs, Oregon)
  
• White Earth Investment Initiative (Ogema, Minnesota)
  
• White Mountain Apache Housing Authority (Whiteriver, Arizona)
  
• Ysleta del Sur Pueblo (El Paso, Texas)
  

Since 2014, ONAC has awarded a total of eighty-five grants ($663,900) total) to tribes and Native nonprofits in support of their asset-building programs. Grant awards have been made in Alaska, Arizona, Connecticut, Idaho, Maine, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, and Wisconsin. As additional resources are secured, ONAC will continue to expand grant support in other states. ONAC appreciates the partnerships with these grantees and all their work to build assets in Native communities. 

The importance of Native VITA programs:

Native VITA services are crucial as the tax preparation is offered by trusted sources in local Native communities. For those without broadband access and affordable devices on which to complete online tax returns, in-person Native VITA services help tribal citizens to claim their tax credits and to use tax time as asset-building time. ONAC will receive the data reports from the 2023 grantees this fall (as some offer year-round VITA services). To convey the impact of Native VITA services, ONAC can report on the data from sixteen grantees in 2022. Those sixteen ONAC grantees served 9,358 tribal citizens and helped them claim $19,823,282 in federal tax refunds. Of those 9,358 tribal citizens, 3,195 individuals claimed $6,361,038 through the EITC and 2,015 families claimed $4,225,714 through the Child Tax Credit (CTC). 

About the Oklahoma Native Assets Coalition, Inc.:

The Oklahoma Native Assets Coalition (ONAC), started in 2001, is a national Native-led nonprofit that works with tribes and partners interested in establishing asset-building initiatives and programs in Native communities, for the purpose of creating greater opportunities for economic self-sufficiency of tribal citizens. ONAC is an intermediary funder, grassroots network coordinator, and also a direct service provider that works with Native families to build their assets through ONAC's provision of Native-specific financial education and financial coaching, as well as funding of Children's Savings Accounts (CSAs), Emergency Savings Accounts (ESAs), down payment assistance, incentivized Bank On accounts, and emergency cash assistance. Soon, ONAC will launch a revolving loan fund. 

The mission of ONAC is to build and support a network of Native people who are dedicated to increasing self-sufficiency and prosperity in their communities through the establishment of integrated and culturally relevant financial education and financial coaching initiatives, as well as seed-funded account programs, down payment assistance, EITC outreach, free tax preparation, expanded banking access, and other asset-building strategies. 

Asset-building programs simultaneously address family economic security, food sovereignty, financial literacy, and preservation of Native languages and arts. ONAC believes strongly in the importance of creating programming that incorporates Native worldviews, traditions, arts, and languages into Native asset-building efforts.

For further information: 

Contact Christy Finsel, Ph.D., (Osage Nation), ONAC Executive Director, cfinsel@oknativeassets.org.

On May 9, 2023, ONAC Executive Director, Christy Finsel, met with the OCC Acting Comptroller Michael Hsu in Oklahoma City. ONAC and other community groups spoke with Acting Comptroller Hsu about the realities they face, on the ground, with building assets in underserved communities. ONAC was grateful for the opportunity to participate in the meeting.