Business Development Fund Receives Grant

March 10, 2009

The South Dakota Community Foundation awarded The Harvest Initiative $10,000 to support HI's new Business Development Fund. The Business Development Fund provides equity grants to support entrepreneurs on the Crow Creek Sioux Reservation.

The Business Development Fund was announced in January, 2009 and the initial application period closes on March 20, 2009. The recipient of the first equity grant will be announced in April, 2009. The grant from The South Dakota Community Foundation guarantees that the Business Development Fund will be able to provide more equity grant opportunities for Crow Creek entrepreneurs in the future.

"We are extremely appreciative for this award from the South Dakota Community Foundation," said Dustin Miller, HI's Director of Marketing and Development. "It can be very difficult to convince grant providers to fund new and original programs. This grant shows that there are institutions in South Dakota committed to innovative economic development solutions in Indian Country."

The South Dakota Community Foundation is a non-profit organization which administers a $75 million endowment fund, made up of private gifts from individuals, families and businesses. The mission of SDCF is to promote philanthropy, receive and administer charitable gifts, and invest in a wide range of programs promoting the social and economic well-being of the people of South Dakota.

The Harvest Initiative was founded in 2008 to invest locally in native grown ideas and support socially responsible business development to move the Crow Creek Sioux Reservation toward a commercially viable, self-sustaining economic environment.

For more information on The Harvest Initiative or HI's Business Development Fund, call (605) 870-6196. More information about The South Dakota Community Foundation is available at www.sdcommunityfoundation.org .