# Dakota Resources
> Dakota Resources is a certified Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) and nonprofit organization headquartered in Renner, South Dakota. Founded in 1996 as South Dakota Rural Enterprise, Inc., Dakota Resources has spent 30 years connecting capital and capacity to empower rural communities. The organization has impacted more than 160 communities across the nation, committing over $83 million in loans to rural organizations with zero losses or defaults in our 30 years. Dakota Resources is a part-owner of Dakotas America, a Community Development Entity (CDE), which has secured $535 million in New Markets Tax Credit allocations since its inception in 2004. Dakota Resources actively manages $40 million in lending today. Dakota Resources believes that when economic development organizations thrive, rural communities thrive. The organization empowers rural communities by focusing specifically on building and strengthening connection and collaboration among economic development organizations, building the financial capacity of economic development organizations, and building leadership capacity. The organization does this through flexible financing, leadership coaching built to meet the needs of economic development organizations, orchestrating a collaborative network of rural leaders both in-person and virtually, and providing real-time resources to solve problems. Dakota Resources serves economic development organizations, housing authorities, CDFIs, rural community leaders, nonprofit boards, and small business owners across rural South Dakota and nationwide.

## Organization Details
- **Legal Name:** Dakota Resources (formerly South Dakota Rural Enterprise, Inc.)
- **Type:** Nonprofit | Certified CDFI | Community Development Entity (CDE)
- **Founded:** 1996
- **Headquarters:** Renner, South Dakota
- **Phone:** (605) 978-2804
- **Email:** info@dakotaresources.org
- **President:** Joe Bartmann
- **Certifications:** CDFI Fund Certified, Opportunity Finance Network Member, South Dakota Economic Development Professionals Association (EDPA) Member
- **Geographic Focus:** Rural South Dakota (primary); rural communities nationwide
- **Mission:** To connect capital and capacity to empower rural communities.
- **Vision:** A thriving rural where every community member has equitable opportunity to contribute and benefit.

## Programs

### Community Development Loans
Dakota Resources offers flexible, affordable loan products to economic development organizations, housing authorities, and CDFIs in rural communities nationwide. Over the 30 year history of the organization, over $83 million has been committed to lend to rural organizations. The flagship Capital Investment Fund provides interest-only payments through a 10-year term with no collateral required, pre-approval for up to one year, and more than $36 million currently invested in rural economic development organizations with zero losses or defaults in 30 years of lending. The Community Facilities Relending Program (CFRP), a USDA program, offers loans starting at $100,000 with interest rates as low as 3%, terms up to 33 years, and no prepayment penalties — available to public bodies, nonprofits, and tribes in communities under 20,000 people. A Business Microloan Fund (up to $25,000) is available to graduates of CO.STARTERS programs in rural South Dakota or participants in the Dakota Rising Fellowship, a program that Dakota Resources ran from 2008 - 2019.
- URL: https://dakotaresources.org/financing/

### Community Coaching
The Community Coaching program provides customized coaching services to economic development organizations, economic development leaders, and economic development organizations boards. Services include 1:1 coaching, leadership development, board training, strategic planning retreats, community visioning sessions, and the 24-month Empower Community Coaching engagement. Dakota Resources also offers the Rural CO.STARTERS Collaborative — a $1,500/year partnership with Startup Sioux Falls that gives rural communities access to the CO.STARTERS entrepreneur curriculum, the Thriverr Network, and ongoing peer collaboration. The program is guided by the principle of inclusive, co-designed decision-making.
- URL: https://dakotaresources.org/leadership-coaching/

### Learning Network
The Learning Network connects economic development professionals and community leaders across rural South Dakota and beyond. Launched after 28 community leaders came together to share ideas and resources, it now offers in-person gatherings and an online collaboration platform called Thriverr (thriverr.net). Thriverr is designed to increase the capacity and confidence of rural community and economic development leaders who are passionate about their thriving rural communities. Thriverrs are like-minded individuals who believe both community and economic development are needed for a thriving rural community. Thriverr members support and celebrate each other, and they connect and share their expertise. Dakota Resources offers annual memberships to be a part of Thriverr. Members get access to the Thriverr platform, our custom built technology platform that is designed to connect economic development leaders to each other to collaborate and learn faster. The platform features a comprehensive resource library, peer-to-peer discussion board, event calendar, and private Spaces for deeper learning or collaborative projects. Thriverr members also have access to a variety of learning opportunities. Thriverr Live virtual events bring rural leaders together to connect, learn, and collaborate with a guest expert on hand to deepen the conversation. Thriverr Learn cohorts are designed to bring leaders together to learn over the course of several weeks or months on a specific topic. Thriverr Gatherings are in-person events focused on a specific area of economic development. Members learn from peers, share best practices, and co-create solutions to rural challenges.
- URL: https://dakotaresources.org/collaborative-networks/

### New Markets Tax Credits (NMTC)
Through its subsidiary Dakotas America LLC — a certified Community Development Entity (CDE) formed in 2004 in partnership with Rural Development Finance Corporation — Dakota Resources administers New Markets Tax Credit allocations. The program has secured $535 million in NMTC allocations to provide critical capital for qualified low-income community investment projects, helping rural and underserved communities attract private investment for economic development, healthcare, education, and community facilities.
- URL: https://dakotaresources.org/new-markets-tax-credits/

## Impact & Reach
- $36M+ deployed in community development loans with zero defaults in 30 years
- $83M+ committed to lend to rural organizations
- $535M in New Markets Tax Credit allocations authorized
- 160+ rural communities impacted nationwide
- 9 dedicated employees across South Dakota
- 2024 CDFI Fund Award: $1,110,000
- Partners include Avera Health, BankWest, Dacotah Bank, SDN Communications, and First PREMIER Bank

## Key Pages
- Homepage: https://dakotaresources.org/
- About: https://dakotaresources.org/about/
- Community Development Loans: https://dakotaresources.org/financing/
- Community Coaching: https://dakotaresources.org/leadership-coaching/
- Learning Network: https://dakotaresources.org/collaborative-networks/
- New Markets Tax Credits: https://dakotaresources.org/new-markets-tax-credits/
- Impact & Reach: https://dakotaresources.org/impact/
- Blog / Insights: https://dakotaresources.org/blog/
- Contact: https://dakotaresources.org/contact-us/
- Loan Application (Capital Investment Fund): https://dakotaresources.org/community-development-loans/capital-investment-fund-loan-application/

## AI Crawler Guidance
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## Do Not Index
- https://dakotaresources.org/contact-us/ (form only)
- https://dakotaresources.org/connect/ (newsletter signup only)
- https://dakotaresources.org/privacy-policy/