COLUMBIA, MD – Enterprise Community Partners (Enterprise) today announced a $7 million New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) allocation to Maȟpíya Lúta (formerly known as Red Cloud Indian School), a nonprofit educational institution serving nearly 500 students and approximately 800 families on South Dakota's Pine Ridge Reservation.  
 
The investment was announced at The Gathering, a convening of Tribal homeownership coalitions and housing organizations in Salt Lake City hosted by Enterprise. 
 
The investment will help Maȟpíya Lúta expand its early childhood education program, launch a Lakȟóta teacher certification initiative, grow its existing print shop operation, establish a new food truck enterprise, and purchase a school bus to support student transportation needs. The working capital deal is expected to create more than 20 new permanent quality jobs and provide career training and workforce development opportunities to 35 individuals annually. 
 
"Wóphila to Enterprise for partnering with us on this New Markets Tax Credit investment. This funding supports our early learning childcare staff expansion, helps our teachers pursue certification, and launches two new community enterprises — a food truck and a printing operation — creating more than 20 jobs right here in Pine Ridge, South Dakota,” said Tashina Banks Rama, executive vice president of Maȟpíya Lúta. “It's an investment not just in buildings, but in our people. New Markets Tax Credits are a powerful tool for closing the investment gap that has long affected reservation communities, and we're proud to put that capital to work here at Maȟpíya Lúta." 
 
Maȟpíya Lúta is a leader in Lakȟóta language immersion education and community-centered programming. The investment supports priorities identified by the organization and community, including expanded educational opportunities, workforce development, economic opportunity, and Lakȟóta language revitalization. 
 
A major component of the project is the expansion of the Lakȟóta Language Center, the only full Lakȟóta immersion early childhood program on the reservation. Funding will increase childcare capacity from 10 to 50 children while supporting a new teacher certification pathway designed to prepare community members to become educators in Lakȟóta immersion classrooms. With fewer than 6,000 fluent Lakȟóta speakers remaining, the initiative will help strengthen efforts to sustain and grow the language for future generations. 
 
"The most effective solutions are rooted in the knowledge, priorities, and leadership of the communities they serve," said Janis Bowdler, president of Solutions at Enterprise Community Partners. "Maȟpíya Lúta has built programs that respond to what Pine Ridge families need most, from early childhood education to helping people build careers close to home. Enterprise is proud to support an organization that continues to invest in its community's vision for the future." 
 
In addition to expanding educational opportunities, the investment will support two community enterprises designed to create jobs and workforce training opportunities. The expanded print shop will provide hands-on experience in design, printing, and production management, while the food truck will provide training and employment pathways in food service and small business operations. 
 
"We're honored to partner with Maȟpíya Lúta on this investment," said Leah Rogan, senior director, structured finance, NMTC at Enterprise Community Partners. "Too often, important community priorities don't align neatly with conventional financing sources. The New Markets Tax Credit program helps close those gaps by providing flexible capital that helps organizations like Maȟpíya Lúta pursue the resources their communities most want and need. I’m excited to see the impact of this partnership take shape across Pine Ridge.” 
 
The project is located on the Pine Ridge Reservation, home to more than 19,000 members of the Oglala Lakȟóta Nation. The reservation is located in a severely distressed rural census tract, where more than half of residents live in poverty. NMTC help attract capital to efforts that create jobs, expand critical services, and advance economic opportunity in communities across the country. 
 
With more than $1.14 billion in allocations awarded, Enterprise’s NMTC is one of the most experienced investors in the country in partnering with investors and developers to strengthen neighborhoods and communities. Enterprise’s $7 allocation for this deal is part of a $10 million NMTC transaction that also includes a $3 million allocation from JPMorgan Chase CDE. Chase Community Equity, LLC, provided NMTC equity for the transaction. 
 
About Enterprise Community Partners 
Enterprise Community Partners is a national nonprofit that exists to make a good home possible for the millions of families without one. We support community development organizations on the ground, aggregate and invest capital for impact, advance housing policy at every level of government, and build and manage communities ourselves. Since 1982, we have invested $92 billion and created more than 1.1 million homes across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands — all to make home and community places of pride, power, and belonging. Join us at enterprisecommunity.org.