Native cultures in what is now Mexico are credited for introducing chocolate to the world. The Mayan culture used chocolate as currency and the Aztec culture used the cacao bean as payment for tribute because it was so highly revered. The Aztecs also created xocoatl, a spicy hot chocolate drink that mixed cacoa beans, corn flour, water and chilies which was popular with the upper classes.
Year: 2011 Blogs
November is Native American Heritage Month!
Please join the American Indian College Fund and the Native students and 34 tribal colleges and universities we support in celebrating Native American Heritage Month. You can get to know more about a tribal culture, history, language, and how the tribal colleges help to preserve them on our web site, Facebook and Twitter. Visit our YouTube channel, where we feature student and alumni interviews, celebrate our graduates, and provide an overview of the Fund’s work with the video Hope on the Rez.
Klatt: 2011 Tribal College Tours – Montana
As an employee of the American Indian College Fund (the Fund), I had the opportunity to participate in one of our bi-annual tribal college tours. These tours give current donors, potential donors, corporate executives and anyone who is curious about tribal colleges or the Fund a snapshot of what is taking place at these amazing establishments and how the Fund supports this movement.
APS Foundation Pledges $100,000 to Renew Arizona Public Service Navajo Scholars Program
The American Indian College Fund received a grant of $100,000 from the APS Foundation, the charitable giving arm of Arizona Public Service, a leading producer of electric power in the southwest. The donation will renew the Arizona Public Service Navajo Scholars Program for 2011-12, to provide scholarship support to Navajo students studying for a degree in the science, technology, engineering, and math fields (STEM) at tribal colleges including Diné College and Navajo Technical College, and mainstream colleges within the New Mexico and Arizona state university system.
Annual Flame of Hope Gala Raises More Than $300,000 for Scholarships
The American Indian College Fund’s16th annual American Indian College Fund Flame of Hope Gala raised more than $300,000 for American Indian student scholarships. The event, held October 20 at the Seawell Grand Ballroom at the Denver Center of the Performing Arts in Denver, Colorado, included headline entertainment by Native flutist R. Carlos Nakaí and The Jared Stewart Band. Hattie Kauffman, award-winning television journalist with CBS, served as Mistress of Ceremonies.
Donaldson Foundation Grants $15,000 to Renew Scholarship Program
The Minnesota-based Donaldson Foundation granted $15,000 to the American Indian College Fund to renew its commitment to the Donaldson Foundation Tribal College Scholarship Program. This program provides scholarships to American Indian students studying science, technology, engineering, or math at tribal colleges and universities in Minnesota and Wisconsin.
PSA Production goes to Oglala Lakota College
Our first day in South Dakota marked the arrival of account supervisor Hanna Nesper Newell, art producer Kimberly Wilder, creative director Patty Orlando, copywriter Casey Hall, and camera operator Matt Hayes. American Indian College Fund president Rick Williams made the trip up from the Fund’s headquarters in Denver, Colorado.
They’re Off!
On Sunday, October 2, members of the American Indian College Fund and our long-time advertising agency, Wieden+Kennedy, set out to produce the Fund's new advertising campaign. This blog will follow our team through Indian Country as we stop at tribal colleges to...
Guest Blog From Student Intern Deanna
This the tenth and final entry from the summer series of blog entries by our scholar Deanna, who is writing about her internship experience at Mesa Verde National Park. We are thankful for her sharing her perspective and wish her only the best at Ft. Lewis College and...
Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Pledges $300,000 for Tribal College Faculty Fellowships
The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation has announced it is granting $300,000 over the next three years to the American Indian College Fund (the Fund) for expansion of the Sloan STEM Leadership Fellowship Program.