Lakota Federal Credit Union

Lakota Federal Credit Union is a tax-exempt, not-for-profit corporate entity registered in SAM.gov through August 2025, specializing in financial services for Native communities. As a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), the credit union focuses on providing affordable financial products and services to underserved Native markets across the United States, with a strategic emphasis on economic revitalization and community development.

The credit union has received multiple significant federal grant awards from the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Community Development Financial Institutions Fund, totaling approximately $5.7 million across three recent grants. These awards include a $2.6 million Native Initiatives program grant, a $1.8 million Equitable Recovery Program (ERP) grant, and a $1.3 million Native Initiatives program grant. The grants support critical objectives such as expanding lending capabilities, creating jobs, building businesses, and fostering economic self-determination in Native communities. Specifically, the funding enables Lakota Federal Credit Union to deliver financial products, financial services, development services, loan loss reserves, and capacity-building initiatives. The grants also support technological infrastructure development, staff expansion, and organizational capacity building, with completion dates ranging from December 2026 to December 2028. These federal awards demonstrate the credit union's commitment to addressing economic challenges in Native communities, particularly those disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.