About Us
Our Mission
The American Indian College Fund invests in Native students and tribal college education to transform lives and communities.
Our Vision
Since its founding in 1989, the American Indian College Fund has been the nation’s largest charity supporting Native student access to higher education. We provide scholarships and programming for American Indian and Alaska Native students to access higher education. And once students are in college, we provide them with the tools and support to succeed.
We Are Committed to Our Students and Our Supporters
The College Fund is committed to transparency and accountability. We consistently receive top ratings from independent charity evaluators. Our values have led to our growth, our relationships with supporters, and our ability to continue the mission that drives our work.
- The College Fund earned the “Best in America Seal of Excellence” from the Independent Charities of America. Fewer than 2,000 of one million charities operating in the United States have been awarded this seal.
- The College Fund meets the Standards for Charity Accountability of the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance.
- The College Fund received a Gold Seal of Transparency from Guidestar.
- The College Fund consistently receives high ratings from Charity Navigator.
Guidestar
Gold Seal of Transparency
Best Charity
Certified by America’s best charities
Charity Navigator
View our Charity Navigator profile
BBB Wise Giving Alliance
View our give.org charity profile
How Your Donations Are Used
Our History
Founded in 1989, the American Indian College Fund is the nation’s largest Native-led and serving charity supporting Native student access to higher education. The College Fund believes “Education is the answer” and provides American Indian and Alaska Native students with scholarships and program support, ensuring they have the tools to graduate and succeed in their chosen careers.
The College Fund also supports 35 accredited tribal colleges and universities (TCUs), most of which are chartered by tribal governments and are located on or near Indian reservations.
The College Fund consistently receives top ratings from independent charity evaluators and is one of the nation’s top 100 charities in the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance.
Our Team
The College Fund places its mission at the core of everything we do and how we do it. Our team is focused on creating and improving opportunity for Native individuals and communities who need it most. We thrive in our dedication to accomplishing our work together as a whole team.
The Meaning Behind Our Logo
Tribal colleges and universities were established by tribal nations to provide a solid foundation in education for Native people and to reverse the impacts of centuries of discrimination and forced cultural assimilation.
To represent the American Indian College Fund’s mission to provide tribal college students with access to a higher education, it created a logo incorporating both a flame and a feather.
The flame represents how education illuminates both individuals and communities through intellectual and economic growth. The feather nestled within the flame represents how tribal colleges work to revitalize Native language and culture by integrating them into their curricula, while immersing students in their Native languages, cultures, and traditions.
Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs)
For over 50 years, tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) have provided a path for American Indian students to access a higher education grounded in Native cultures and traditions, providing them with the opportunity to launch their careers and serve their communities, while creating a better future for themselves and their families.
Diné College was the first tribal college, founded in 1969 during the Civil Rights era, with others soon following. Today there are 35 accredited tribal colleges and universities (TCUs). All offer certificate programs and associate degrees, with 19 offering bachelor’s degree programs and seven offering master’s degree programs. The American Indian College Fund provides support for both TCUs and their students.
Tribal colleges and universities are located across the nation, from the Midwest to the Southwest to the Plains and the Northern Rockies, serving diverse Indian Nations. Despite these differences, all TCUs must share three basic criteria: they must be tribally chartered, their boards must be comprised of a majority of Native Americans, and the student body must be comprised of a majority (51%) of Native Americans.
These remarkable higher education institutions provide a higher education not just to Native students but also other community members in the remote, rural communities where they are located. In addition to education, TCUs also provide important community services including health education and health centers, exercise facilities, childcare, computer centers, libraries, Indigenous research, Native language instruction, community centers for activities and ceremonies, and lifelong learning.
The first six tribal colleges founded the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) to maintain common standards of quality in American Indian education; to support the development of new TCUs; to promote and assist in developing legislation to support American Indian higher education; and to encourage greater participation by Native peoples to develop higher education policy. AIHEC created the American Indian College Fund in 1989 to raise funds for scholarships and the TCUs. The College Fund raises millions of dollars for student scholarships; campus infrastructure; and programming such as research, language preservation, early childhood education, mentoring, internships, and student success programs.
TCUs provide Native students with access to an accredited, higher education in or near their reservation communities. The curriculum and even the campus architecture reflect Native cultures, traditions, and values to provide a supportive, culturally based space for learning and growth.
