Proud and Self-Sufficient

Five hundred years ago the Potawatomi people were a proud and self-sufficient people, with each family able to provide for its basic needs, with the support of the community to provide for those who couldn’t provide for themselves, and with an active economy within the local community that connected the villages of the tribe with other communities and nations.

Rebuild and Strengthen

It is the vision of Chi Ishobak to rebuild the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi as well as Indian Country into supportive and nurturing communities, strong in language and culture, and with all tribal citizens provided with the tools and opportunities needed for meaningful lives and self-sufficiency, whether through employment, self-employment, or traditional lifeways.

Empowerment

In working towards this vision, Chi Ishobak will carry out its mission with a sense of pride in ourselves and in the people we serve as a Native community, with the aim to empower Tribal Citizens to build their ability to provide for themselves and create meaningful lives. At all times, Chi Ishobak will strive to carry out its responsibilities and succeed in its goals with the utmost integrity.

Mission

We are here to help you succeed. It is the mission of Chi Ishobak to provide Tribal Citizens with access to affordable capital for the purposes of small-business loans and individual financial development through collaborative and education-oriented lending services, and to practice responsible lending in order to protect loan capital for future generations of Tribal Citizens.

Staff & Board

Chi Ishobak Staff

Chi Ishobak Board of Directors

Bruce Molnar, Chairman
Brandon Rapp – Vice-Chairman
Joe Silvia, Secretary/Treasurer
Tony Day, Director
Jeremy Truitt, Director
Joseph Riley II, Director
Alicia Falcon, Director
Troy Clay – Director
Linda Cook – Director

Our History

Promote & Protect

Chi Ishobak was created as an effort of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indian tribal government through their Department of Housing. The mission of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians is to “respectfully promote and protect the culture, dignity, education, health, welfare and self-sufficiency of our elders, our youth, our families and our future generations while preserving Mother Earth.” Part of accomplishing this mission includes working toward economic independence. As such, the goal of the Tribe in developing a CDFI was to promote the improvement of the financial capacity of all Tribal members by equipping them with the skills, knowledge and confidence that they need to make informed judgments and to make effective decisions with respect to their current and future personal and household circumstances.

Native Community Development Financial Institution

In 2005 the Pokagon Tribal Council formally approved CDFI efforts, recognizing that tribal members lacked affordable access to capital and credit. In 2006 the Tribe was awarded a Native American CDFI Assistance (NACA) technical assistance and planning grant from the U.S. Treasury CDFI Fund. This grant was administered through the Pokagon Department of Housing, who began the process of forming a Native Community Development Financial Institution to serve Pokagon Band members. A tribal resolution was passed on September 18, 2009, that supported the creation of the CDFI and appointed the first board of directors. Chi Ishobak, Inc. was incorporated under the state of Michigan as a non-profit organization just ten days later, on September 28. Shortly afterwards, the Tribal Council also approved start-up funding for the organization for loan capital and operations.