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  • 06 Feb 2014 1:30 AM | Anonymous

    The 2012 Assets Learning Conference will feature four conference institutes, four plenary sessions and over 40 concurrent sessions covering the most pertinent and cutting-edge topics for the asset-building field. The conference will begin on Wednesday, September 19 with four half-day and full-day conference institutes covering a range of topics including Children’s Savings, Entrepreneurship and Policy Advocacy Strategies. Day two of the conference will feature two plenaries and four sets of concurrent sessions followed by an evening reception. The final day of the conference will include two plenaries and two sets of concurrent sessions and conclude with visits to Capitol Hill to meet with legislative staff.

  • 05 Feb 2014 1:34 AM | Anonymous

    The Indian Country Business Summit will focus on bringing buyers state and federal, local and tribal together with companies from all over Texas and Oklahoma. Convening for the sixth year, the summit intends to produce new business opportunities and expects to introduce new suppliers to government agencies.

    Where: Embassy Suites in Norman Oklahoma

    When: Sunday, Monday and Tuesday – August 26th-28th

    Gold Tournament Sunday, August 26, 20012 at 1:00 pm

    Business Summit Monday, August 27-Tuesday August 28

    Register Online at: www.indiancountrybusinesssummit.com/

  • 03 Feb 2014 1:36 AM | Anonymous

    The Choctaw Asset Building Program and Native American Business Resource will partner with ONABEN-A Native American Business Network and the SBAs Office of Native American Affairs  in hosting a One-Day Entrepreneurial Training.

    Who should attend:

    Aspiring entrepreneurs and existing business owners for introductions to enhance business operations. Information will be shared on government contracting and marketing. Participants will have the opportunity to become familiar with area business resources as local, leaders in business development sit on a panel to discuss their program initiatives and take questions from the audience. The workshop is open to the public and there is no cost to attend. For more information contact Dawn Hix, Choctaw Asset Building, or Jill Reyna, Native American Business Resource, 800-522-6170.

    When:   Thursday, July 12, 2012  1:00-4:00 pm
    Where:  Kiamichi Technology Center, Idabel Campus, Room 3
                    3205 Lincoln Road N.E., Idabel, OK 74745

    Click here to register.

  • 02 Feb 2014 1:37 AM | Anonymous

    This Credit Webinar Designed for ONAC Constituents by the Credit Builders Alliance will provide information on why credit is an asset to those who offer financial education and/or lending to Native communities.  Participants will also learn about the different services the CBA offers to financial educators and lenders: CBA Access and CBA Reporter. 

     
    What is the Credit Builders Alliance (CBA)?
    CBA is a nonprofit organization creating 
innovative solutions to help non-traditional financial and asset building institutions serving low and moderate-income individuals build client credit and financial access in order to grow their businesses and/or personal assets.  Here is a link to the CBA website: http://www.creditbuildersalliance.org

    Webinar Date: Tuesday, July 10, 2012
    Time: 1:30 -2:30 p.m. CDT

    Registration Link:
    To register for the webinar, follow this link: 
    https://cc.readytalk.com/r/jbecq59mqkiu

    Webinar Call-In Information for July 10th: 
    To call in to the webinar on July 10, here is the information:
    U.S. & Canada:  866.740.1260
    Access Code:  7309390
     
    If you have questions about the webinar, please be in touch with Christy Finsel at cfinsel@oknativeassets.org.

  • 01 Feb 2014 5:02 PM | Anonymous

    Request for Proposals: Native Asset Building Projects in Oklahoma

    Grant Overview

    The Oklahoma Native Assets Coalition (ONAC) is pleased to announce this 2014 request for proposals (RFP) to help fund Native asset building projects in Oklahoma.   First Nations Development Institute (First Nations), a national Native nonprofit, is the fiscal sponsor for ONAC.   Thus, ONAC, in collaboration with First Nations, will award a total of $10,500 in mini grants to Oklahoma grantees.  Depending upon the projects (financial education curriculum supplies may cost less than seed money to open Children’s Savings Accounts), the mini grants will average $3,500 each.  Some awards may be slightly higher or lower than this average.  The grant period will begin March 3, 2014.   The average grant period is six months to a year.   

    Grants may be used to fund existing or new Native asset building programs in Oklahoma.   Examples of how mini grants may be used for such programs include funding for:

    • Financial education curricula materials for your financial education programs
    • A computer for your Voluntary Income Tax Assistance site (such sites help eligible tribal members prepare their tax returns for free and claim their  tax credits)
    • Match funds for your tribal Individual Development Account program
    • Initial deposit money for your Children’s Savings Account program (to help youth build a nest egg of savings)
    • Stipends/payments for youth employees working in your tribal employment program, so they so they have earned income to deposit into Individual Development Accounts
    • Training for your staff to be able to provide foreclosure intervention services to clients/tribal citizens
    • Loans made to customers through your Native nonprofit credit builder loan program

    If you would like to talk through any of your asset building program ideas, please contact Christy Finsel, Coordinator of the Oklahoma Native Assets Coalition, at (405) 401-7873 or email her at cfinsel@oknativeassets.org.

    Deadline

    The grant applications are due by February 7, 2014.  ONAC will review the grant applications and make the award determinations, awarding up to $10,500 total, among the 2014 grant recipients. First Nations, as ONAC’s fiscal sponsor, will send the award notifications by March 3, 2014. A list of awardees will be posted on the ONAC website. ONAC will work with First Nations as First Nations processes the grant agreements and sends the grant payments to the grant recipients.

    Eligibility

    Eligible applicants include:

    • Tribal governments based in Oklahoma;
    • Tribal programs based in Oklahoma; or
    • Native organizations based in Oklahoma.

    If applicants are not a tribal government, 501(c)(3), a 7871, or Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), they must have a fiscal sponsor. We do not require federal recognition for tribal governments; however, you must have, at a minimum, proof of state recognition.

    Application

    All applicants must fully complete the ONLINE Grant Application, made avaliable thorough First Nations (ONAC’s fiscal sponsor).

    Please also complete Attachment A: An Estimated Budget for the Proposed Project (examples of line items include: books for financial education program, 15 books x $20.00 per book = $300.00; funds to open Children’s Savings Account programs for 25 youth x $100.00 per account= $2,5000, etc.).

    Application Closed

    Help

    If you need technical assistance with the online grant application, please contact Catherine Bryan, Senior Program Officer, First Nations, at cbryan@firstnations.org or (303) 774-7836, ext. 12.   If you have specific questions about the grant or your project, please contact Christy Finsel, Coordinator, Oklahoma Native Assets Coalition, at cfinsel@oknativeassets.org or (405) 401-7873.

     


    The deadline for applications is February 7, 2014 at 5:00 p.m. Mountain Time. 

    Note: The online system automatically closes at 5:00 p.m. MST and applications not completely submitted by that time will be rejected by the system.  Please allow plenty of time for submitting online.  Proposals that are incomplete or are received after the deadline will not be considered.  No exceptions will be permitted.

  • 01 Feb 2014 1:38 AM | Anonymous


    We invite you to attend the 2012 Oklahoma Native Assets Coalition (ONAC) Conference, on June 11, 2012, held at the Reed Conference Center, 5800 Will Rogers Road, Midwest City, OK 73110. 

    During the conference, we will examine the current state of Native asset building in Oklahoma; have opportunities for peer learning; share information about Native asset building models, funding sources, partnership opportunities, research, training and technical assistance; and learn about ONAC next steps and ways to be involved in the Coalition.

    At the end of the day, we will have a networking reception and provide ONAC membership information.  We invite you to participate in this interactive conference.

    Who should attend the conference?
    Those interested and engaged in Native asset building in Oklahoma.  We invite Tribal leaders, Tribal program directors, Native nonprofits, Native asset building practitioners and researchers, state representatives, students, cultural advisors, policy organizations, funders, financial institutions and financial institution regulatory bodies, national asset building organizations, inter-tribal organizations, representatives from the Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians, IRS, and Administration for Children and Families, and others interested in tribal asset building in Oklahoma to attend.  

    Conference Schedule: June 11, 2012

    • 9:30 a.m. Registration and Breakfast
    • 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Conference
    • 5:00 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. Networking Reception and Membership Drive

    Registration Fee:
    The 2012 ONAC Conference Fee is $25.00.

    Agenda:
    Click here to download the agenda.  

    Registration Deadline:
    The registration deadline for the ONAC conference is June 5, 2012.  Attendees paying by check should mail their payment by June 1, 2012.  Attendees who are not able to mail their check by June 1st should bring a check with them to the conference.
     
    Registration Fee Waiver:
    If you need an ONAC Conference Fee Waiver, please contact Christy Finsel at cfinsel@oknativeassets.org to request a waiver. Once approved, please enter the registration fee waiver discount code in the online registration form.
     
    If you have any questions about the conference registration, please contact Christy Finsel, ONAC Program Manager, at cfinsel@oknativeassets.org or at (405) 401-7873.

     

     

    What is ONAC?

    The Oklahoma Native Assets Coalition (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 security of tribal citizens.

    What is ONAC’s role with Native asset building?

    ONAC is working with constituents  and partners to increase the number of Native asset building opportunities in the state such as:

    • financial education programs
    • credit builder programs
    • matched savings account programs such as Child Savings Accounts and Individual Development Accounts
    • microfinance programs
    • homeownership and foreclosure prevention programs
    • employment programs
    • entrepreneurial programs
    • free tax preparation at Voluntary Income Tax Assistance (VITA) sites, etc.
  • 15 Jan 2014 1:41 AM | Anonymous

    Oklahomans turn to high-cost lenders at a much higher rate than the national average. Low- and moderate-income households are particularly likely to turn to loan products with high interest rates that chip away at their disposable income. Oklahoma Assets invites you to join us for a 1-day summit on high cost lending in the state. The summit will facilitate information sharing on the extent and impact of the problem and promote lower-cost alternatives for families struggling to avoid high-cost lenders. The goal of the summit is to formulate an agenda that serves the interest of low- and moderate-income Oklahomans in maintaining financial security through access to affordable credit products. Join Us for the High Cost Lending Summit

    Oklahoma Assets invitse you to attend the High Cost Lending Summit, on June 12, 2012 to be held at the Reed Conference Center, 5800 Will Rogers Road, Midwest City, OK 73110. Be part of the discussion that shapes policy and strategies associated with high cost lending practices and asset building in Oklahoma.

    For more information visit www.oklahomaassets.org.

  • 01 Jan 2014 1:42 AM | Anonymous

    LONGMONT, Colorado (December 15, 2011) First Nations Development Institute announces that Christy Finsel, an enrolled tribal member of the Osage Nation of Oklahoman, has been named the Oklahoma Native Assets Coalition (ONAC) Program Manager. In this role, Finsel will work with the ONAC Leadership Team, comprised of Anna Knight (Cherokee Nation Commerce Group), Dawn Hix (Choctaw Nation Career Development), and Kristi Bias (First Nations Oweesta Corporation), to lead the coalition and build its capacity to provide greater outreach and asset building resources to the tribes in Oklahoma.   

    ONAC is part of First Nations’ Oklahoma Asset Building Policy and Practice Initiative (OABPP), along with Oklahoma Policy Institute and Oklahoma Assets. FNDI is the OABPP Manager and has received funding for this work from the Ford Foundation’s Building Economic Security Over a Lifetime Initiative.  
     
    Finsel brings Native and non-Native asset building experience to her work with ONAC. In 2003, she designed and implanted a youth Individual Development Account program, a matched savings program, at De La Salle Middle School in Saint Louis City.  That school serves an all African American student population in North St. Louis City.  She still voluntarily co-administers that program. They are in their 9th year and have graduated 94 IDA participants. 
     
    That same year, she began Native asset building research while enrolled in the Master of Social Work program at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis. She graduated from that program in 2004.
     
    For the past five years, she has provided technical assistance nationwide to 30 Native communities who were either interested in starting IDA or financial education programs. In Oklahoma, most recently she worked with a Native CDFI on her reservation, Osage Financial Resources, Inc., to design a non-federally funded IDA program that serves residents of Osage County.
     
    In 2010, she generated the Native-specific content for the Assets for Independence Native Initiative Project Design and Application Development workshops held by the Administration for Native Americans.  Since then, she conducted eleven of those trainings and provided technical assistance to attendees.
     
    Earlier this year, she concluded facilitating a FNDI Native Asset-Building Partnership Project between Four Bands Community Fund and the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. This peer-learning partnership was focused on the development of a Credit Builder Loan Program.
     
    Currently, Finsel is the Administration for Children and Families Region VII Assets for Independence Regional Consultant in Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, and Iowa. She is also providing IDA consulting services to MA’O Farms in Wai’anae, HI; a tribe that is exploring Children’s Savings Accounts; and to FNDI as they launch a pilot Youth Savings Account Program for students at Gallup Central High School in McKinley County, NM.
     
    Regarding her work with ONAC, Finsel says, “I am honored to have the opportunity to work with tribes in Oklahoma on asset building efforts.  As a member of the Osage Nation and having grown up in Oklahoma City, I am excited to work with, and learn from, tribes in the state.  There is innovative Native asset building occurring in Oklahoma and many opportunities for even more asset building efforts here.  Additionally, I’m eager to connect OK tribes to other Native communities, nationally, who are also offering important asset building programs.   It is an exciting time to be engaged in Native asset building in Oklahoma!”
     
    For more information about the OABPP, please contact Sarah Dewees, Senior Director of Research, Policy, and Asset-Building Programs, First Nations Development Institute, at sdeweees@firstnations.org.
  • 22 Feb 2013 1:34 AM | Anonymous

    Webinar: Looking at the Benefits of Native CDFI and How Services Offered Impact the Community

    ONAC contacted First Nations Oweesta Corporation to ask them to provide a webinar on Community Development Financial Institutions for ONAC constituents, based on constituent interest.  Oweesta let ONAC know about the following webinar opportunity:

    Webinar Date: July 20, 2012

    Time: 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. CDT

    Registration Link: 

    To register for the webinar, visit www.oweesta.org

    Click here to view the webinar PowerPoint presentation. 

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