The Wisconsin Indigenous Housing and Economic Development Corp. (WIHEDC) will host its second annual Economic Development Conference in Lac Du Flambeau on Nov. 5-6.
The two-day conference is now in its second year as WIHEDC aims to bring Indigenous-owned businesses, Native community development financial institutions (CDFIs), Tribal leaders and more to collaborate on how to strengthen Indigenous economies. The conference will showcase expertise and opportunities for Tribes and Indigenous entrepreneurs to take advantage of to foster stronger self-reliance, as previous grant-based funding opportunities have run dry.
“We need our Tribal nations to exercise their sovereignty and look internally and become more self-sustaining,” said Fern Orie, CEO of WIHEDC. “We need to lean off of the reliance on federal funding sources and look to our own culture and traditions and ways we sustain our people.”
Previous funds that are now gone have been a pressing issue for Indian Country. Funds from COVID have expired and policies from the Trump Administration have impacted the Tribal economies through rescinding and consolidation of grants, contracts and revenue streams.
With federal commitment in an era of uncertainty, conferences like the Economic Development Conference aim to find solutions.
At the conference, sessions include discussing pathways for growth, perspectives on the state of Tribal nations, opportunities for clean energy, housing, cannabis’ potential, how previous revenue streams are being impacted and many more.
“It’s really the pulse of economic development here in Wisconsin, Tribal communities, and then, of course, housing space and really looking at some of the challenges, but also some of the opportunities,” Orie said.
One effort WIHEDC aims to hammer down on is its Native Business Hubs. Through a grant it received from the Department of Administration, WIHEDC is creating business hubs in every tribe. Six tribes currently have one through WIHEDC’s efforts, but it plans to discuss its potential as it works through discussions with Wisconsin’s remaining tribes.
The second conference is only a step in its overall plans, Orie said. It hopes to have a conference at every tribe across Wisconsin in moderately intimate environments. Last year, the very first conference in Bowler, Wis., saw around 160 attendees.
Registration for the conference is currently open. A full agenda can be found via WIHEDC’s website.
