Hey there, Rural Thrivers!

This past year reaffirmed something we’ve believed at Dakota Resources from the beginning: rural communities don’t need “saving.” They need support that helps local leaders build skills, connect to resources, and turn good ideas into real projects. When that support shows up consistently, local people can do extraordinary things.

And that’s exactly what you did in 2025.

We’re connecting an ecosystem where rural leaders level up their skills, confidence, and impact—together—and then bring that momentum back to their hometowns. 

At the same time, the truth is 2025 also came with real challenges for CDFIs, like Dakota Resources, and for rural economic development in general. That’s why we stepped up our advocacy efforts significantly this year and helped local leaders to do the same. 

So… what’s a “Rural Thriver”?

A rural thriver is what we call the leaders connected to this mission.

It’s someone who believes a thriving future is possible for rural communities, chooses to do something (big or small) to help make it happen, and connects with other rural thrivers to learn, share, and support each other along that journey. 

If that sounds like you… that’s because it is.

2025 Year in Review

Here are a few moments from the past year that made me proud.

• Biggest lending impact yet: With support from 32 loan fund investors, Dakota Resources assisted in the financing of schools, daycares, housing, infrastructure, and business growth—investing a record $9 million through Community Development Loans and stewarding $46.8+ million total capital across all loan funds, currently serving 35+ rural communities in South Dakota (and more through partner networks in other states).
• Sustained investment in Indian Country: Over the last 8 years, we’ve helped bring 4 Native education projects to life through a mix of NMTC financing (via our partner Dakotas America) and community-facility lending—including a $5M USDA Community Facilities loan supporting the McIntosh School addition on the Standing Rock Reservation, opened August 2025.
• Small business support that stays local: We helped 8 rural small businesses strengthen their local economic impact through CO.STARTERS and low-interest microloans.
• A growing network of rural leaders (and repeat participants): We engaged 130+ rural leaders and organizations in Dakota Resources programs, with 28% participating in more than one—building stronger capacity and deeper collaboration across communities.
• Learning, coaching, and connection—year-round: The Thriverr ecosystem continued to expand with 98 Thriverr Network members, 70+ learning and coaching events (including 4 Thriverr cohorts and new Learning Gatherings on advocacy and empty-building strategies), plus weekly Tuesday Virtual Coffee Breaks hosted by network members.

Small-town leaders come to Dakota Resources for tools and support, but they also leave with something bigger: a trusted network. When rural thrivers learn alongside each other and swap what’s working in real time, they amplify their impact, create change that sticks, and gain access to real resource providers that help them to further their mission.

The real story is what happens next

So, you can see  what happens when rural leaders lock arms and get to work. If you follow our newsletters, you’ve seen the impact stories they’re creating in real time: Leaders stepping up, communities solving problems, and projects moving from “maybe someday” to “we did it.”

(And if you missed any newsletters, you can find past stories here.)

Behind every breakthrough is an ecosystem of belief in this mission, and I want to say a huge thank you to the people who made this work possible:

• 100+ Sponsors and Donors who fuel our mission.
• 32 Loan Fund Investors who believe in putting money where community ideas are.
• 29 Volunteers powering our boards and learning activities
• 9 passionate team members and a team of close collaborators making the magic happen across rural South Dakota

Looking ahead

2026 is going to be a good big year. We’ll be celebrating 30 years of impact at Dakota Resources. Watch for special stories and a few opportunities to gather throughout the year (and yes… we’ve got a couple fun surprises planned, too).

With you alongside us, we’ll keep building stronger, more resilient rural communities that can truly thrive.

And if you’ve got ideas, questions, or something you think we should be paying attention to, I’d love to hear from you. Just reply to this email with the subject “Hey, Joe”, and I’ll get back to you. Or you can reach out anytime through our Contact Us page. 

Toward a thriving rural,

Joe Bartmann
President

P.S. – If you’d like to be a bigger part of this work, here are three things you can do today:

1. Donate. Your gift does something remarkable: it transforms “wondering how” into “making it happen”. Every single dollar you contribute empowers a local rural leader to create real, lasting change.
2. Volunteer. Join one of the groups that steward our work. You might be the leader our mission needs.
3. Sponsor or Invest. We need more partners to help us empower those rural communities. If your company could benefit from connecting with rural leaders across the Dakotas, let’s talk.