By Sherry Byers, CPN Housing Department Home Ownership Manager

The Citizen Potawatomi Nation Housing Department’s One-Time Grant program has now been in operation for more than 24 years. It has evolved and improved over the course of time and assisted hundreds of CPN tribal members with the down payment and/or closing costs associated with the purchase, building or refinancing of a home.

In addition to assisting individual Tribal members, we would also like to see the Citizen Potawatomi Nation’s Sovereign Bank (Formerly First National Bank & Trust Co.) benefit by originating the mortgage loans. Sovereign Bank can offer many of the same loan programs as other lending institutions, except loan types affiliated with predatory lenders.

It is interesting to know that there are still many CPN members uninformed about this program and the Tribe’s bank. Our office receives calls daily from Tribal members that never knew of this grant or that the Tribe owns its own bank.

All CPN tribal members are eligible for this grant one time only. The maximum amount is $2,125, which does not have to be repaid. The grant cannot be used for any type of mobile/manufactured home, the home being purchased must be the borrower’s primary residence, and the Tribal member’s name must be on the loan. Convicted felons or other household member felons are ineligible. The application must be completed thoroughly and include the following:

  • Copy of borrower’s CPN membership card
  • Copy of Social Security cards for household members without Tribal cards
  • Copy of the loan estimate from lender
  • Income verification for all household members (last three to four pay stubs, or if same employer for years, the last two years of tax returns, first page and signature page only)
  • Name of the closing entity (title co., escrow co., attorney, etc.)
  • Completed W-9 form
  • Copy of appraisal

The application and support information is required in our office at least two to three weeks prior to the closing date. This gives our office enough time to get the paperwork processed and the check mailed back to the Tribal member by the specified date.

This grant may also be done after closing. The required paperwork must be in our office at least 30 days from the loan closing date. Please contact our office if applying after closing.

To request the application and/or general information regarding the One-Time Grant, contact Sherry Byers, homeownership manager, at 405-273-2833 or sbyers@potawatomi.org.

For information regarding loan products and lending requirements at Sovereign Bank, ask for Rachel Vallandingham, mortgage loan officer, at 405-878-1927.