Wisconsin Native Loan Fund

What Wisconsin Native Loan Fund does

Wisconsin Native Loan Fund (WINLF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and U.S. Treasury-certified Native Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) founded in 2006 and headquartered on tribal land at 14284 State Hwy 70 W in Lac du Flambeau, Wisconsin. Its mission is to improve capital access, financial health, homeownership, small business opportunities, and economic development for Wisconsin Native American families and communities. Since inception, WINLF reports deploying $22,995,779 in loan capital across 954 closed loans to members of 56 tribes, while providing financial-skills programming to 2,856 clients.

WINLF operates a three-pillar lending portfolio: Consumer loans (automobile, debt consolidation, unexpected expenses), Mortgage & Housing loans (purchase, construction, improvement, down payment assistance), and Small Business loans (micro business, small business, lines of credit, tribal entity financing) — supplemented by Client Development Services spanning budgeting workshops, credit coaching, financial literacy classes, one-on-one counseling, foreclosure assistance, homebuyer education, rental resource assistance, and entrepreneurial start-up training. The organization also administers tribal-specific State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) programs for the Bad River Tribe and Lac Courte Oreilles Tribe. Underwriting is built on a character-based "right fit" lending philosophy rather than purely credit-score-driven decisions, and WINLF reports an extremely low loan delinquency ratio. Technology stack is third-party SaaS: Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System (NMLS), LenderFit for online loan applications, MyLoanPanel for loan servicing/payments, Calendly for counseling bookings, and HUD-certified housing counseling systems.

The business model is a revolving loan fund, with revenue derived from loan interest income, U.S. Treasury CDFI Fund grants, SBA Navigator Spoke support, and tax-deductible donations (PayPal, donor-advised funds, checks, stock, bequests). Distribution is direct, via staff loan officers and credit-housing counselors at the Lac du Flambeau headquarters and through tribal partnerships and coalitions including the Wisconsin Native Homeownership Coalition and Wisconsin Indigenous Economic Development Corporation (WIEDC). Geographic scope is limited to Wisconsin; customer segments are Native American consumers, homebuyers, entrepreneurs, and tribal entities and housing authorities.

Name

Wisconsin Native Loan Fund

Legal name

Wisconsin Native Loan Fund, Inc.

Website

https://winlf.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Wisconsin Native Loan Fund is a 501(c)(3) Native CDFI founded in 2006 and headquartered in Lac du Flambeau, Wisconsin, providing consumer, mortgage, and small business loans plus financial education services to tribal members across 56 Wisconsin tribes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Development Lending

NAICS

Savings Institutions and Other Depository Credit Intermediation (522180), Credit Unions (52213), Sales Financing (52222)

SIC

Miscellaneous Business Credit Institution (6159), Personal Credit Institutions (6141)

akta.pro primary industry

SBA/Government-Backed & Development Finance Loans (FSAKAGAI)

Keywords

• Community development lending
• Tribal financial services
• Native CDFI loans
• Consumer mortgage lending
• Small business lending

Headquarters

HQ city

Lac Du Flambeau

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Loan Interest Income: Revolving loan fund providing consumer loans, mortgage/housing loans, and small business loans. Generates revenue through interest on loans for automobile purchases, debt consolidation, home construction/improvement, down payment assistance, and business financing.
2. Donations and Charitable Contributions: 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization accepting tax-deductible donations via PayPal, donor-advised funds, checks, stock, or bequests. Donations support technical assistance, financial education, and affordable capital deployment.
3. CDFI Fund Grants: U.S. Treasury CDFI Fund certification and grant funding through the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund. SBA Navigator Spoke program support.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Wisconsin Native Loan Fund is a nonprofit Native CDFI that provides affordable consumer loans (automobile, debt consolidation), mortgage and housing loans (purchase, construction, improvement, down payment assistance), and micro/small business loans to enrolled tribal members and documented descendants residing in Wisconsin. These lending products are paired with client development services including budgeting workshops, credit coaching, homebuyer education, financial literacy classes, foreclosure assistance, and small business technical assistance.

Product overview

Wisconsin Native Loan Fund (WINLF) is a certified Native Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) offering a three-pillar lending portfolio centered on Consumer Loans (automobile, debt consolidation), Mortgage & Housing Lending (home purchase, construction, improvement, down payment assistance), and Small Business Lending (lines of credit, micro/small business, tribal entity loans). These lending products are complemented by Client Development Services including budgeting workshops, credit coaching, financial literacy, one-on-one counseling, foreclosure assistance, homebuyer education, and small business technical assistance. WINLF also administers tribal-specific SSBCI programs for Bad River and Lac Courte Oreilles tribes, and provides an online mortgage calculator tool. The organization serves enrolled members of any federally recognized Tribe or documented descendants residing in Wisconsin.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Consumer Lending Consumer loans tailored to meet financial needs including automobile financing and debt consolidation for car buying, debt consolidation, or unexpected expenses, provided to enrolled members of federally recognized tribes and documented descendants in Wisconsin.
• Mortgage & Housing Lending Comprehensive housing loans including home purchase, home construction, home improvement, and down payment assistance designed to help tribal members in Wisconsin achieve homeownership, alongside support for renovation of distressed homes.
• Small Business Lending Tailored micro and small business loans including lines of credit, micro business loans, small business loans, and tribal entity financing to fuel Native American entrepreneurial dreams in Wisconsin.
• Client Development Services Financial education and coaching services including budgeting workshops, credit coaching, financial literacy classes, one-on-one counseling, foreclosure assistance, homebuyer education, rental resources, entrepreneurial start-up classes, and technical assistance for small businesses.
• State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) - Bad River Tribal SSBCI program for Bad River offering micro enterprise revolving loans ($2,500–$50,000), tribal enterprise loans ($500,000–$1,500,000), and business lines of credit for tribal contractors ($20,000–$100,000).
• State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) - Lac Courte Oreilles Tribal SSBCI program for Lac Courte Oreilles offering micro/small business loans ($2,500–$50,000) and tribal enterprise loans ($50,000–$1,000,000).

Quantifiable outcome

• $22,995,779 loan capital deployed
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• OWEESTA (First Nations Oweesta Corporation)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunding partner providing financial support for Native community development. Oweesta helps build strong Native institutions through professional services designed to build local capacity.
• Credit Builders AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides innovative solutions to help build client credit and financial access for low-income individuals through CBA member CDFIs.
• First Peoples FundmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNative community development organization supporting Indigenous entrepreneurs and cultural preservation.
• Opportunity Finance NetworkmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading network of private financial intermediaries that lend to unconventional markets, providing resources and advocacy for community development lenders.
• Wisconsin Indigenous Economic Development Corporation (WIEDC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition of four Native CDFI members (First American Capital Corporation, First Nations Community Financial, WINLF, Woodland Financial Partners) created to create greater economic impact in Wisconsin. 501c3 nonprofit established 2018, became legal entity 2022.
• Wisconsin Native Homeownership CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition of stakeholders with similar goals in Native housing. Provides collaboration environment, forum to address challenges on Tribal Trust land, and resource sharing to improve lender engagement.
• Bad River TribecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWINLF assists Bad River Tribe in administering SSBCI programs including microenterprise revolving loan fund, tribal enterprise loans, and business line of credit for tribal contractors. Located in Ashland County.
• Lac Courte Oreilles (LCO) TribecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWINLF assists LCO Tribe with Micro/Small Business Loan Participation Program and Tribal Enterprise Loan Participation Program under SSBCI initiative.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Opportunity Finance Network: Opportunity Finance Network is the leading national network of CDFIs and a WINLF partner. It is comparable as the trade association and capital intermediary for the CDFI industry in which WINLF operates.
• Credit Builders Alliance: Credit Builders Alliance is a WINLF partner organization that provides credit-building infrastructure and reporting tools to CDFIs. It is comparable as an enabler of WINLF's credit-building mission for low-income Native borrowers.

Regional players

• Bay Bank: Bay Bank is a Wisconsin community bank focused on business and consumer lending with Native American community engagement. It appears as a WINLF funding partner and serves overlapping small business and consumer borrower segments in Wisconsin.

Direct peers

• First Nations Community Financial: First Nations Community Financial is a Wisconsin-based Native CDFI and fellow WIEDC member. It provides lending, financial education, and technical assistance to Native communities with a closely overlapping service model.
• Woodland Financial Partners: Woodland Financial Partners is a Wisconsin-based Native CDFI and a co-founding WIEDC member. It provides lending and financial services to Native American communities with an analogous mission and product set.
• First American Capital Corporation: First American Capital Corporation is a Native CDFI based in Wisconsin and a co-founding member of the Wisconsin Indigenous Economic Development Corporation (WIEDC) alongside WINLF. It serves Native American small businesses and entrepreneurs with comparable loan products.
• First Nations Oweesta Corporation: Oweesta is a leading Native CDFI intermediary that provides capital and capacity-building to Native CDFIs including WINLF. As a fellow Native CDFI serving Indigenous communities with lending and financial education, it is a direct peer in the Native CDFI ecosystem.

Emerging players

• Lakota Funds: Lakota Funds is a Native CDFI serving the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. It provides small business, consumer, and housing loans to tribal members with a community development focus similar to WINLF.
• Northwest Native Development: Northwest Native Development is a Native CDFI serving tribal communities in the Pacific Northwest. It offers lending and financial services comparable to WINLF's three-pillar approach with Native community specialization.
• Four Directions Development Corporation: Four Directions Development Corporation is a Native CDFI serving the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. It is comparable as a Native CDFI lender offering consumer, mortgage, and small business loans to tribal members, though in a different geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/winativeloanfund
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/winlf

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Wisconsin Native Loan Fund