News

March 11, 2014.  We, the Oklahoma Native Assets Coalition (ONAC), announce that we have awarded four ONAC mini grants.

ONAC represents a consortium of Oklahoma 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.    

In January 2014, ONAC released our first-ever request for proposals (RFP) to fund Native asset building projects in Oklahoma.  We received seven excellent applications from tribal governments and tribal programs based in Oklahoma.  When ONAC released the RFP we had a total of $10,500 to award to recipients (an average of $3,500 each for three grantees).  After receiving seven applications in February, First Nations Development Institute, a national Native nonprofit, and the fiscal sponsor for ONAC, was able to secure $3,500 more to fund a fourth grantee.  Thus, ONAC, in collaboration with First Nations, has awarded a total of $14,000 in mini grants to four ONAC constituents.  We are excited to work with the awardees as they continue to offer Native asset building projects to their tribal members.   If needed, ONAC is available to provide free training and technical assistance to the grantees as they design savings programs and offer financial education related classes. 

The current ONAC mini grant awardees are as follows:

• The Muscogee (Creek) Nation Housing Division will hold four classes for 60 tribal citizens/homeowners to educate them about foreclosure prevention.  They will also purchase a computer to run credit checks with their homeowners as well as supplies, refreshments, and incentives for their classes (awarded $3,500).
• Wichita and Affiliated Tribes will administer a SummerSmart: Wichita Summer Youth Program where, in addition to building tribal pride through teaching Wichita history and culture and promoting good health practices, they will offer savings accounts for the interns and youth participants as well as financial education classes (awarded $3,500).
• The United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians will offer a youth employment and financial education program where they will require that the participants save in a matched savings account program (awarded $3,500).
• The Housing Authority of the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma will continue to build internal staff capacity and will send a staff member to a training and certification course so they may provide credit counseling and budgeting classes to an estimated 80 tribal members during the grant period (awarded $3.500).

Award Total: $14,000

The Oklahoma Native Assets Coalition thanks those who applied for these grant funds.  ONAC is actively seeking other funding to try to fund the remaining three grantees and will be in touch with them, if we are successful in our fundraising efforts. Additionally, as we received feedback from other constituents in the state that they would be interested in a second competitive ONAC mini grant RFP, we are seeking additional support.  For more information about the Oklahoma Native Assets Coalition, please go to http://www.oknativeassets.org/.    If you have any questions about ONAC and the mini grants,  contact Christy Finsel, ONAC Coordinator, at cfinsel@oknativeassets.org.

First Nations Development Institute (First Nations) is pleased to announce the launch of the My Green campaign for Native American youth.  My Green, created by First Nations with funding from the FINRA Investor Education Foundation, is an initiative that features a brand new website (http://www.mybigmoney.org/) with tools to help Native youth who will be receiving a large Minor’s Trust or per capita payment – what First Nations refers to as “Big Money” – make smart decisions with their money.

The My Green campaign was created in response to the growing demand for a product to specifically assist the increasing number of youth receiving Big Money payments.  As many of you know, some tribes hold capital earned through successful tribal businesses or settlements with the US government in a trust for tribal youth, and award the payment(s) to youth when they turn 18 (or sometimes later).  Unfortunately, Native youth have a high “unbanked” rate and lower levels of financial knowledge than the national average, and are thus especially vulnerable to making poor financial decisions when awarded this money.

The My Green website (http://www.mybigmoney.org/) features four spokespeople, Native youth ages 17-23, who present their stories about how they managed their Big Money. They share their lessons learned in a series of videos, and they serve as guides throughout the different components of the website.  The site contains several money tools that Native youth can use to learn how to better manage their payments, including a Big Money simulation game that mirrors real-life spending decisions one must make and a question and answer forum that addresses a number of topics pertinent to youth receiving a Big Money payment.

To view all the resources available to our youth, please visit www.mybigmoney.org, like the new Facebook page at www.facebook.com/mygreenfndi, and follow the campaign on Twitter @mygreenfndi for all the latest updates. 

Talking Dollars with Danny and Denise is a series of 7 60-second public service announcements that cover a range of financial topics. Danny and Denise discuss buying a car, budgeting their money, what to do with a windfall payout from a trust fund settlement, and much more.
 
These PSAs were recorded by staff at KWSO 91.9FM -  Warm Springs Community Radio. The project was made possible with funding from First Nations Development Institute (www.firstnations.org) and the FINRA Investor Education Foundation (www.finrafoundation.org).
 
Use of these PSAs is free to all radio stations. 
 
To download the PSAs and the logos for the project, go to dropbox at http://www.dropbox.com and use the following email and password:
 
email: sdewees@firstnations.org        
password: danny7

If you have any questions regarding this project or need assistance with download the materials, please email Sarah Dewees at sdewees@firstnations.org.

The due dates for the Fiscal Year 2013 Assets for Independence (AFI) applications have been revised to:

• March 25, 2013
• May 24, 2013

The January 25, 2013 application due date has been removed. Applicants who were planning to submit proposals in early 2013 are still strongly encouraged to do so.

As always, applications for AFI funding can be submitted any time through grants.gov. Due dates for applications refer to the last day that an application may be received for consideration under the next scheduled review.

Modified Funding Opportunity Announcement

A modified Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) was released on December 5, 2012. Changes in the new FOA include:

• Revised point structure
• Explicit request to demonstrate experience with allowable asset categories
• Modest revisions to the evaluation criteria

More detail on the modifications and the new FOA are available at http://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/open/foa/view/HHS-2011-ACF-OCS-EI-0137. Applicants are strongly encouraged to review the modified FOA to ensure their application is responsive to the evaluation criteria. The estimated total funding and expected number of awards for 2013 has not changed.

Did you know?

Applicants can register to receive notifications of any changes to the grant opportunity by visiting the AFI opportunity synopsis page on Grants.gov.

If you have any questions about planning your 2013 AFI proposal, contact the AFI Resource Center at info@IDAresources.org or 1-866-778-6037.

Here are the responses we received:

1. The Oklahoma Homebuyer Education Association (OHEA) is holding a 5-day train-the-trainer for certifying homebuyer education specialists in Edmond, Oklahoma, on April 22-26, 2013. “OHEA Certified Homebuyer Education Professionals are authorized to provide homebuyer education certificates for USDA Rural Development loans, Federal Home Loan Bank Set-Aside Programs down payments, Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency administered lending and down payment products, etc."

   The cost is $425.00. 

   To access the online registration form, please go to: http://www.homebuyereducation.info/trainsessions.htm or call (405) 949-1495 to register. 
    

2. First Bank & Trust Company, with locations in Duncan, Waurika, Healdton, Ardmore, and Norman, Oklahoma, has offered to provide financial education to interested tribes or tribal programs, etc.  If you would like to speak with them about this offer, please contact: Shannon Truax, AVP-Audit Manager, at (580) 255-1810.  She may also be reached at struax@fb247.com.
    
3. Several active Native financial education programs in the state are continuing to provide their financial education classes in April but do not have additional events scheduled. 
    
4. ONAC serves Native communities in Oklahoma.  As there are only several Native asset-building coalitions nationally, we also have what we term “ONAC Friends” who we may communicate with about Native asset-building programs through emails and peer learning calls.   One such “ONAC Friend” is the Sac & Fox Financial Literacy Committee in Iowa.   They responded to our message and sent the following information.  It is good to know what our friends offer their Native communities so we can learn from each other about various Native asset building models and best practices.

   In April, the Sac & Fox Financial Literacy Committee (including their partner, Pinnacle Bank) is providing the following:

   • April 3, 10 & 17 - Evening classes for all enrolled members and descendants for 3 nights teaching “Building Native Communities”. We are providing meal and childcare for those who want to attend plus a $50 gift card if the member completes all 3 sessions.
   • April 22 - Junior/Senior seminar for those enrolled members who are about to receive their Minors Trust fund. We talk about taxes, what triggers a distribution, how to pay less taxes, peer pressure and etc. We have a panel of prior recipients to help with the presentation. We also are giving a $50 gift card to those who attend and school also offers additional math credit if they attend.
      
5. The Cherokee Nation Small Business Assistance Center wrapped up America Saves Week less than a month ago and are planning a Knowledge Is Power Resource Fair that will be held each Friday in May.  The Resource Fair will target Cherokee Nation employees and they are providing a host of workshops each Friday throughout the day.  Some examples of workshops that related to financial education are:
   • Accessing Your Credit Report (will be held in a computer lab and an instructor will walk participants through utilizing www.annualcreditreport.com; after accessing the report, staff will be on standby to go over each individual’s credit report in depth)
   • Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University orientation
   • Pay Day Lending Dangers
   • Eat Better Spend Less (a workshop hosted by the Small Business Assistance Center and the Food Distribution Program
   • Negotiating with Creditors
   • Energy Conservation (joint workshop hosted by the Small Business Assistance Center and the Cherokee Nation Environmental Office
   • Understanding Your Credit Score
      
6. The Small Business Administration (SBA) is offering their Emerging Leaders Program in Tulsa and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.  The classes begin in April 2013. 

   The seven-month executive leader curriculum includes approximately 100 hours of classroom time per participant and provides the opportunity for small business owners to work with experienced mentors, attend workshops, and develop connections with their peers, city leaders, and financial communities. Classes focusing on Native American Small Businesses will be held in Oklahoma City and Tulsa.”  You do not have to be a recipient of SBA to be eligible.  This program will assist Native small business owners in running their business.  There is no cost for the program-it is paid for by the SBA. 

   The SBA recommends that anyone who is interested in the program make a telephone contact (before completing paper or online application) with:  Tim Jeffcoat at 405-609-8020 or Cindi Carter at 405-609-8018.  They would be able to explain the program and answer questions.

   • Below is a press release about the program.

     Release Date: February 21, 2013	Contact:	Larry Weatherford, 405/609-8012
     		Larry.Weatherford@SBA.gov
     SBA Emerging Leaders Class Builds Success for Native American Business Developing a plan for growth and creating the professional networks that lead to business success are two of the outcomes created by the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Emerging Leaders class according to graduates of the training program. James Ryals, President of Arnold Electric, credits the Tulsa Emerging Leaders program with helping develop his business by encouraging him to focus on things his company was doing but maybe wasn’t tracking or lacked procedures for. It also provided important contacts with the Corps of Engineers that later resulted in Arnold Electric bidding on and securing an important contract at Tinker AFB. “It showed us how we were progressing rather than waiting until the end of the year to see if we made money,” Ryals said. “It focused more on running my business than simply working. It gave us the networking contacts and confidence to grow our business.” The U.S. Small Business Administration recently launched its 2013 Emerging Leaders executive-level training initiative, formerly known as e200, in 27 cities and communities across the country. Since 2008 the initiative has trained more than 1,300 promising small business owners in underserved communities, and continues to expand its impact helping small businesses grow and create jobs. Mark Masters, President of Chloeta Fire, LLC., points to the Oklahoma City Emerging Leaders program as a turning point in his efforts to turn a good idea into a good business. “I knew a lot about wild land firefighting but I was not a business person by any means,” Masters said. “I look at the e200 program as the launching point for us. If it had not been for the e200 program then I’m certain we would not have achieved the level of success that we have had.” Masters was named U.S. Small Business Administration National Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 2012. “Oklahoma is fortunate to have two locations offering the Emerging Leaders Program,” said Dottie Overal, Oklahoma SBA District Director. “This is a great opportunity for our Native American small businesses to create a plan for growth that will propel them to the next level of success.” The seven-month executive leader curriculum includes approximately 100 hours of classroom time per participant and provides the opportunity for small business owners to work with experienced mentors, attend workshops, and develop connections with their peers, city leaders, and financial communities. Local recruitment for the 2013 training cycle started February 1 through SBA district offices, and classes are scheduled to begin in April. Classes focusing on Native American Small Businesses will be held in Oklahoma City and Tulsa. Small business owner interested in joining the 2013 class should contact Cindi Carter at the SBA, 405/609-8018. We appreciate the feedback you sent us. If others have information they want shared about their financial education activities during National Financial Literacy Month, you are welcome to send them to Christy Finsel at cfinsel@oknativeassets.org. Thank you!

7. A Native American Business Network (ONABEN) is working with Cherokee Nation Businesses to provide an Indianpreneurship® “Train the Trainer” session Monday, April 29 and Tuesday, April 30, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Tulsa.   To reserve a space at the training, contact Veronica Hix at 918-431-4630 or Veronica@ONABEN.org.  Registration is $550.00, which includes a student and teacher’s edition text, and is due by April 21, 2013.    If you need a discount, contact Heather Rademacher Taylor at heather@onaben.org.

8. Northeast Oklahoma Community Action Agency (NEOCAA), PO Box 603, Jay, OK 74346, is offering “Indianpreneurship,” a class designed to help those wanting to start their own businesses beginning on April 17 at 7:00pm at the Ottawa Tribe Longhouse near Miami, OK.  The class will meet for 6 sessions (2 to 3 hours in length).  There is no charge for the class.  Please call the Ottawa Tribe at 918-540-1536 for directions to the Longhouse.  For further information about the class, contact Julia Teska, Job Development Specialist, NEOCAA, at 918-25304683, ext 157. 

   We appreciate the feedback you sent us.  If others have information they want shared about their financial education activities during National Financial Literacy Month, you are welcome to send them to Christy Finsel at cfinsel@oknativeassets.org.  Thank you!