Danny and Mandy Plainfeather live and operate their ranch on the Crow Reservation in Montana. Mandy grew up helping her mom and dad on their family ranch and Danny spent 17 years helping his father ranch. Thanks to ranching and helping on other’s ranches, they both gained an understanding of how to operate their own ranch, what hard work is and hope to pass the ranch onto their children and grandchildren in the future. When Mandy’s parents passed away during covid, they knew

Akiptan had a chance to sit down to visit with retiring Board Member Mr. James McCuen as he moves into retiring from his work within the...

The Native CDFI Awards honor and support Native CDFIs that are creating opportunity and promoting self-sovereignty in Indian Country...

Reflecting with our Summer Intern Mackenzie Akiptan successfully closed out our Summer 2022 Internship Program on August 30th, 2022. We...

We are excited to introduce you to our Loan Administrator, Chelsey Lecompte . As a member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, Chelsey grew up on the Lecompte Ranch on the Lecompte Ranch on the Cheyenne River reservation and currently resides there with her son Jackson. Chelsey and Jackson enjoy fixing fences and keeping the ranch going together. Chelsey has a background in serving the community and is eager to serve the Agriculture community in the day to day operations of

U.S. Department of Commerce Invests Approximately $45 Million to Grow the Indigenous Finance Sector in Montana, North Dakota, South...

Akiptan is proud to bring you the team of people who are helping to make a change in Indian Ag Finance. This month we are highlighting...

Roni Rae Daly is Lakota and Chippewa Cree. She is an enrolled member of the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe and remains on her homelands of the Lower Brule Nation, where she and her husband operate a farm and ranch. She is the mother of 4 children; Kennedy, Hank John, River, and Stetson Dean. She holds an Associates of Applied Science in Business Administration and Entrepreneurship. Roni is currently attending Sinte Gleska University and will soon transfer to Northern State Universi

Maggie Jo Matt is a 4th generation cattle rancher achieving her dreams

Akiptan is excited to announce that we have awarded $55,000 in scholarships to 11 high school students who are pursuing a degree that...

Akiptan is pleased to announce expanded youth programming that now includes summer internship opportunities for Native American youth....

We are excited to introduce you to our Finance and Administration Officer, Carlton Underwood . As a member of he Northern Arapaho Tribe, Carlton grew up in Ethete, Wyoming, on the Wind River Indian Reservation. Carlton holds several degrees - an Associate's in Accounting, a Bachelor's in Accounting, an MBA, and a Doctor of Education in Organizational Change and Leadership. He brings 21 years of experience working in various executive finance and leadership capacities for the

William & Justine Kougl completely transform traditional cattle ranching business. William (Cheyenne River Sioux) and Justine Kougl had been operating their cattle ranch on the Crow Reservation in Montana for several years when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in early 2020. With processing plants shutting down, cattle prices dropped, and meat on supermarket shelves became sparse. This experience for residents of agricultural areas was nothing short of surreal. Consumers would walk

Hi there and happy New Year! Man, what a ride 2021 took us on. Reflecting back on the last year has left me with a lot of thoughts ings....

Akiptan is excited to introduce you to the newest members of our staff and board: Kole Fitzpatrick was recently hired on as a Loan...

Shelby Homer begins cattle operation on foundation set by past generations. Upon moving to the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota from the Navajo Nation in New Mexico, the world of cattle ranching opened up to Shelby Homer (Navajo). While sheep thrive on the drought-resistant trees and brush of New Mexico, South Dakota’s grasslands offer a prime environment for raising cattle. “The land [in New Mexico] is so desolate that operating cattle is difficult. Moving here to

Akiptan plans to meet more capital needs for Native ag producers. Akiptan is thrilled to announce our two new loan products designed to...

Akiptan raises loan limit to $250,000. Akiptan is excited to announce that we have raised the maximum amount of our loans from $100,000...

Melinda Williamson improves health of community members and local economy with fermented tea. In 2010, while working at Oklahoma State University, Melinda Williamson (Prairie Band of Potawatomi Nation) was diagnosed with an autoimmune illness. This diagnosis would change her life forever, but not in the way one might think. The health scare inspired her to look inward, gravitate back to traditional teachings, and embrace the belief that food is medicine. This naturally led he

Grant award will support transformational ag lending models. This spring, Akiptan was awarded a Community Innovation Grant from the Bush...