Support Okla

The help exists. Finding it is the problem.

Okla is a free resource finder that helps Native people discover assistance they may qualify for — including programs run by tribes other than their own. It’s built and maintained by one person. If it’s been useful to you or someone you know, you can help keep it growing.

Any amount helps. Payments are handled by PayPal — you can pay with a card or a PayPal account, and Okla never sees your payment details.

Why I built Okla

I’m Thomas Hibben, a Choctaw Nation citizen and developer from Shawnee, Oklahoma. Before I moved into technology, I worked in emergency medicine — EMS, emergency rooms, and COVID hotspots during the pandemic.

In April 2023 a tornado hit Shawnee. Afterward, I found myself helping Native families from several tribes track down programs they were eligible for while they dealt with everything that comes after a storm. I kept running into the same problem: the help existed, but it was scattered across tribal websites, agencies, and application PDFs — and sometimes the help someone qualified for wasn’t from their own tribe at all.

There was no simple way to ask, “What help am I actually eligible for?” Okla is my answer to that question.

Where it stands

Okla is live on okla.info, on the App Store, and on Google Play, with 1,328 programs from tribal nations, the Indian Health Service, government agencies, and Native-serving organizations. Every listing is researched against the program’s official source and links back to it. There’s no account, no sign-in, and no ads.

The hard part is done. What’s left is the slow, careful work of adding more programs, keeping the ones already listed accurate, and making sure people know Okla exists. Right now that happens in the hours around paid client work.

What your support pays for

Other ways to help

• Share it. Send okla.info to someone who’s looking for help, or to a tribal or community office that answers those questions every day.
• Tell us about a program. Know one we’re missing? List a program. Spot something out of date? Update a listing.
• Partner with us. Tribes, organizations, and businesses interested in larger support or a data partnership can email thomas@okla.info.