The Luak Group

10/10/2026

10/05/2026

Facility Condition Assessments help Tribes document future infrastructure needs, support Section 105(l) reserve funding and create predictable cash flow for long-term facility stewardship.

10/01/2026

After more than $156.5 million in grant award wins, this one hit differently.

I learned that an FY2025 ICDBG application I wrote scored among the highest nationally, and with the Tribe’s approval, HUD will publish it as a reference application for other Tribes and housing programs.

And this same project will now also be part of the FY2025 ICDBG implementation training I’ll be leading for Southwest ONAP in Phoenix this November.

That means more to me than I can fully explain.

Grant writers are often the silent, behind-the-scenes resource in federal funding work. The email from HUD went to the Tribe, as it should have. But I deeply appreciate that they reached out to me for my thoughts before agreeing to publication because they knew I had written the application. They did not have to do that, and it meant a great deal.

At the same time, no strong application happens in isolation. Tribal staff, leadership, housing professionals, finance teams, technical partners, and community voices all carry the knowledge needed to make an application real. My role is to take that information, understand the community’s priorities, speak the language of the funding source, and tell the story in a way that is strategic, accurate, and compelling.

That is the partnership I value most: finding the right words, structure, and strategy to reflect a Tribe’s vision and help turn documented need into real investment.

To know that this application will now be used as an example for others to learn from, both as a published reference and as part of implementation training, is deeply meaningful. This is the kind of professional moment I have always hoped for: work that serves one community, strengthens the field, and helps create a path for others.

Grateful, proud, and more motivated than ever to keep doing this work. 🏡

09/29/2026

A victory worth celebrating for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault and the organizations that stand beside them. 💜

As a survivor and board member of the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center, this is deeply personal. Protecting funding for survivor services means protecting access to safety, shelter, advocacy, and the support people need to rebuild their lives.

Grateful to the advocates and legal teams fighting to keep these resources accessible. Every survivor deserves safety and support—and neither should depend on a political agenda.

Final Ruling Follows Series of Court Orders Blocking Unlawful Administration Attempt to Weaponize Violence Prevention Funding

09/16/2026

A federal housing award is not the “price of seven houses.”

I need to say this plainly because every time a Tribal Nation receives funding for new housing, the same comments appear:

“The math isn’t mathing.”

“Someone must be getting rich.”

“Why don’t they use casino money?”

“That money could buy more manufactured homes.”

“Why should taxpayers pay for $700,000 mansions for Indians who don’t pay taxes and already make millions from casinos? Somebody is obviously lining their pockets.”

I’ve read and heard the worst of the worst.

These comments are not informed oversight. They reduce an entire housing-development project to the number of homes announced and then imply waste, corruption, or incompetence without knowing anything about the site, infrastructure, grant requirements, procurement process, or scope of work.

I work on these projects and applications. Some of the awards being discussed involve my own clients. I know firsthand how much Tribal leaders, housing staff, consultants, architects, engineers, and community partners put into making these projects possible.

A $5 million housing award divided by seven homes does not mean each home costs more than $700,000. That is not how development budgets work.

Depending on the project, the award may have to pay for:

* Land preparation, demolition, grading, and drainage;
* Roads, sidewalks, lighting, and accessibility improvements;
* Water, sewer, septic, electrical, and utility extensions;
* Environmental reviews, surveys, engineering, architecture, and permitting;
* Foundations, construction, inspections, testing, and code compliance;
* Materials and equipment transported to rural or remote locations;
* Energy-efficiency, resilience, and accessibility requirements;
* Construction administration, grant management, reporting, and required project oversight; and
* Contingencies for conditions that cannot be fully identified until construction begins.

Many Tribal communities are building where municipal infrastructure does not already exist. A housing project may have to create the basic systems that subdivision developers elsewhere take for granted before the first foundation can even be poured.

Manufactured housing does not eliminate those costs. A manufactured home still requires suitable land, transportation, site preparation, a foundation, utility connections, installation, permitting, inspections, and long-term maintenance. It must also be appropriate for the climate, household needs, community standards, funding requirements, and intended useful life of the project. The lowest initial purchase price is not always the most responsible long-term investment.

These awards are also not blank checks handed to Tribes—or to supposed “middlemen.”

Before an application is submitted, months and sometimes years may go into documenting the housing need, identifying an appropriate site, developing the project concept, obtaining cost estimates, evaluating infrastructure, securing Tribal approvals, assembling the budget, establishing readiness, and demonstrating the capacity to complete and operate the project.

The application then competes against requests from Tribal communities across the country. A successful award means the proposal survived technical review and was found to meet the funding agency’s requirements.

After an award, every dollar must be tied to an eligible activity and the approved scope and budget. The recipient must comply with procurement standards, environmental requirements, contract provisions, financial controls, inspections, drawdown procedures, progress reporting, audits, and closeout requirements. Labor standards and other federal requirements may also apply. Professional services are legitimate project costs, must be properly procured, and must be documented.

The work does not end when construction is finished. Tribal housing programs must adopt and follow written admissions and occupancy policies, determine household eligibility, manage waiting lists, match households to appropriately sized units, maintain the properties, enforce program requirements, and continue reporting on the use of federal funds.

Yes, federal grants involve congressionally appropriated public dollars—just like federal investments in highways, schools, agriculture, disaster recovery, economic development, and housing programs throughout the United States. Tribal housing funding also exists within the federal government’s legal and political relationship with sovereign Tribal Nations and its longstanding responsibilities to Indian Country. It is not a personal giveaway.

And no, “casino money” is not a serious answer. Not every Tribe owns a casino. Not every Tribal gaming enterprise is highly profitable. Where revenue does exist, it often supports government operations, health care, education, public safety, elder services, infrastructure, cultural preservation, and many other unmet community needs.

There is nothing wrong with asking informed questions about how public funds are used. Accountability matters, and Tribal housing programs already operate under substantial federal oversight.

But immediately assuming that Tribal officials are misusing funds, that consultants are taking a cut, or that a Tribe should simply pay for housing with casino revenue is not accountability. It is suspicion based on stereotypes.

A successful Tribal housing award represents years of planning, technical work, documentation, advocacy, competition, and persistence. It represents staff who completed the work while continuing to operate underfunded housing programs. It represents a Tribal Nation fighting to provide safe, decent, and affordable homes in communities where the need has gone unmet for generations.

These awards should be examined with facts—not cynicism—and recognized for what they truly are: hard-won investments in families, infrastructure, community stability, and the future of Tribal Nations.

09/04/2026

Congratulations to two incredible The Luak Group clients — the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians and the Washoe Housing Authority — on their FY2025 Indian Housing Block Grant (IHBG) Competitive awards!

These awards represent far more than federal funding. They represent homes, infrastructure, stronger communities, and the ability of Tribal Nations and housing authorities to continue building long-term solutions for their people.

I am incredibly proud to have supported both teams through the competitive grant process and even more excited to see these projects move from proposal to implementation.

And with these newest awards, The Luak Group has now secured more than $156.5 MILLION in competitive grant funding for Indian Country.

That number is certainly worth celebrating — but what matters most to me is what sits behind it: Tribal communities gaining the resources to turn priorities into projects, projects into homes and facilities, and plans into lasting community impact.

Congratulations again to Cow Creek and Washoe. It is an honor to be trusted with this work and to celebrate another win for Indian Country. ❤️

$156.5 million and counting.

08/26/2026

For those of you who don’t live in New Orleans—or who have never experienced Mardi Gras in person—I want to give you a little perspective on just how big this opportunity is for me. 👑💜💚💛

The Krewe of Cleopatra is one of New Orleans’ premier all-women Mardi Gras krewes, with approximately 3,500 women riding in the parade. Cleopatra’s parade night officially opens the 12 days of Carnival festivities leading up to Mardi Gras Day, and when we roll through the city, New Orleans knows Carnival has arrived.

And this is not a small parade.

Cleopatra is a spectacular night parade, filled with lights, music, elaborate floats, costumes, throws, and all the magic that makes New Orleans Mardi Gras unlike anything else in the world. Our parade travels approximately four miles through Uptown and Downtown New Orleans, with an estimated 75,000+ spectators lining the route to watch us roll.

Now imagine what it would mean to be the woman sitting at the very front of all of that.

Queen Cleopatra. 👑

To reign over a krewe of more than 3,500 women.

To lead one of New Orleans’ signature Mardi Gras parades through tens of thousands of spectators.

To ride through the heart of this city as Queen, toast the Mayor of New Orleans in front of historic Gallier Hall, and look out along that four-mile route and see my friends, family, and people I love waiting for me—calling my name, cheering me on, and sharing that once-in-a-lifetime moment with me.

Just thinking about that part gets me emotional.

Because for me, this isn’t only about the title or the crown. It’s about having the opportunity to experience one of New Orleans’ greatest traditions from a place very few women will ever get to experience it—to represent our krewe throughout Carnival season and then lead thousands of women through the city on one of its most magical nights.

That is the opportunity in front of me.

So for my friends outside of New Orleans who may have wondered, “Why is Brandi campaigning so hard for this?”—this is why.

On August 29, it all comes down to whose name is drawn.

Every capsule purchased in my name puts one more chance into that drawing. Capsules are $250 each, and they can absolutely be split among friends, family members, coworkers, businesses, or anyone who wants to help me stack the odds.

The last day to purchase capsules online is August 28, 2026 at 11:59 p.m.

I want this. I want it badly. And I would love nothing more than to know that the people who have supported me throughout my life helped put me in that crown. 👑

If you’ve been thinking about purchasing a capsule—or grabbing a few people and splitting one—now is the time.

Help me bring home the crown and become Queen Cleopatra 54. 💜💚💛

https://kreweofcleopatra.org/product/queen-54-capsules/

08/11/2026

The Luak Group is proud to be a community development partner with the Comanche Nation Housing Authority and provide support for their housing projects. Since 2021, we have worked alongside the housing team to draft housing grant applications for over $21.8M. 🏡

The Comanche Nation Housing Authority received a $1.5 million HUD grant to rehabilitate tribal homes in southwest Oklahoma, improving safety and energy efficiency.

08/11/2026

Important update for Tribal Nations, TDHEs, housing authorities, Native CDFIs, and Native-serving organizations:

The U.S. Senate has passed a Continuing Resolution to fund the federal government through December 11, 2026. The Senate version includes language that would delay implementation of OMB’s proposed overhaul of the Uniform Guidance for federal awards.

This is an important step, but it is not the end of the issue. The measure still has to move through the rest of the legislative process before the delay becomes final.

For Indian Country, this delay matters. OMB’s proposed rule could significantly affect how federal grants are reviewed, awarded, paid, monitored, and potentially terminated. For Tribes and tribal housing programs already managing limited staff capacity, rising costs, housing shortages, infrastructure needs, and complex compliance requirements, more uncertainty in the federal grant process could have real consequences.

This delay would give Tribal Nations and Native-serving organizations more time to review the proposed changes, prepare for potential impacts, and continue demanding meaningful Tribal consultation.

We should use this time wisely.

Tribes, TDHEs, housing authorities, and Native organizations should continue tracking this issue, communicating with congressional representatives, and making clear that federal grant reforms must protect tribal sovereignty, trust and treaty obligations, tribal self-determination, and the practical realities of administering federal funds in Indian Country.

This proposed rule still cannot be ignored.