For Native veterans, service does not end when military duty is complete. Across Native communities, veterans continue to lead as builders, caregivers, entrepreneurs, and culture bearers–helping shape stronger futures for their families and tribal nations.

At Lakota Funds, the Veterans Matched Savings Program helps honor that legacy of service by investing in Native veterans’ pathways to savings, homeownership, and entrepreneurship. By pairing financial education with powerful matched savings incentives, the program transforms steady saving into real capital that can be used to build assets and create long-term stability.

In Native communities with a long tradition of military service, this work is about more than honoring sacrifice. The Veterans Matched Savings Program is about expanding resources for veterans who take on new opportunities like launching a business, purchasing a home, or pursuing advanced education. Under the program, for veterans who save $2000, Lakota Funds matches their investment with an additional $8000–providing $10,000 total to support a new venture.

For Joey Walks Under Ground (Rosales), a former Marine from Pine Ridge, that next chapter is already underway.

After serving three years in the Marine Corps, Joey returned home and built a life rooted in service to community. Over the years, he worked in construction, human services, tribal leadership, and as director of the tribal veterans cemetery. He also carried something else with him: the drive to keep building.

When he applied to take part in the Veterans Matched Savings Program, he saw a path to move his vision forward.

“It’s a good program. I love it,” he said. “Now I can get this business going.”

Joey’s business—a combined laundromat, tire repair shop, and small engine repair service—is designed to meet practical needs that many community members now have to travel long distances from the reservation to access.

“All three aspects are things that our communities need,” he said.

With support from the matched savings program, Joey was able to purchase a shipping container that will serve as the central space for the business. From there, he is constructing additions for each service area, creating the foundation for a family-run business that will provide convenience and future economic opportunity.

Joey’s story is one example of what becomes possible when Native veterans have access to the right tools, trusted guidance, and community-based capital. And he encourages other local veterans–including young veterans–to get involved.

“There are a lot of veterans here–we’re like the silent majority–who could benefit from this. Especially the younger people starting their lives and who want to build businesses,” said Joey. “It’s such a great thing–I would definitely recommend it.”

Every matched savings account helps build the kind of community-rooted wealth that supports long-term resilience: businesses that meet local needs, homes that anchor families, and assets that can be passed forward.

For more information about Lakota Funds matched savings programs, visit: https://www.lakotafunds.org/asset-development

From Service to Sovereignty: How Matched Savings Help Native Veterans Build Community Wealth