Lakota FCU Receives Grant from CDFI Rapid Response Program

​The credit union that serves the Pine Ridge Reservation will use the funds to respond to the economic impact of the coronavirus.  

The U.S. Department of the Treasury recently awarded $1.25 billion in COVID-19 relief funds to 863 community development financial institutions (CDFIs).  One Dakota credit union, Lakota FCU in Kyle, SD was the recipient of a $1,465,000 award.

The grants are being made through Treasury’s CDFI Rapid Response Program (CDFI RRP) and will provide necessary capital for CDFIs to respond to economic challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in underserved communities.

The CDFI RRP grant funds will be used to support eligible activities such as financial products, financial services, development services, and certain operational activities, and to enable CDFIs to build capital reserves and loan-loss reserves.  The CDFI Fund designed the program to disburse the funds rapidly in light of the nationwide economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“These awards provide CDFIs with an unprecedented level of flexible capital to help distressed and underserved communities across the country take meaningful steps towards recovering from the debilitating economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said CDFI Fund Director Jodie Harris. “CDFI RRP awards will enable CDFIs to help businesses keep their doors open, help families make ends meet, and help maintain important community facilities during this difficult time.”

CDFI RRP award recipients are located in 48 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico. The award recipients include 58 organizations that committed to direct their awards to investments in Native American, Native Alaskan, and Native Hawaiian communities; they received a total of $54.6 million in awards.  In addition, 28 organizations that primarily serve Puerto Rico received $47.3 million in awards, and 90 minority depository institutions received a total of $133.9 million in awards.

CDFI RRP awards will reach a wide variety of low-income communities across the United States impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The awardees include CDFIs that serve rural, major urban, and minor urban markets. Primary geographic markets served by CDFI RRP awardees include:

• Major urban areas: 339 organizations receiving $478.7 million in awards
• Small urban areas: 277 organizations receiving $414.2 million in awards
• Rural: 245 organizations receiving $353 million in awards

A CDFI can be a bank, credit union, loan fund, or venture capital fund. The CDFI RRP award recipients include:

• Loan funds: 463 organizations receiving $571.3 million in awards
• Credit unions: 244 organizations receiving $401.8 million in awards
• Banking entities: 149 organizations receiving $267.1 million in awards
• Venture capital funds: seven organizations receiving $9.4 million in awards

CDFI RRP Award Recipients List

About the CDFI Fund
Since its creation in 1994, the CDFI Fund has awarded more than $3.9 billion to CDFIs, community development organizations, and financial institutions through the Bank Enterprise Award Program, the Capital Magnet Fund, the Community Development Financial Institutions Program, the Financial Education and Counseling Pilot Program, and the Native American CDFI Assistance Program. In addition, the CDFI Fund has allocated $61 billion in tax credit allocation authority to Community Development Entities through the New Markets Tax Credit Program, and closed guaranteed bonds for over $1.7 billion through the CDFI Bond Guarantee Program.  For more information about the CDFI Fund and its programs, please visit www.cdfifund.gov.