Advocacy
The American Indian College Fund is committed to advocating for Native students, Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), and Indigenous communities. We believe that empowering individuals, institutions, and communities through education is a critical step toward a more equitable future. This page highlights our advocacy efforts and shows you how you can get involved to support these vital initiatives.
Watch: Jasmine Neosh on the Importance of Supporting Tribal Colleges
Jasmine Neosh (Bear Clan, Menominee) is a College Fund ambassador and third-year law student at the University of Michigan. Live from Ann Arbor, she highlights the need to protect federal programs that expand Native students’ access to tribal colleges.
Once burdened by student loan debt and housing instability, Jasmine found opportunity at the College of Menominee Nation, where she earned her undergraduate degree and gained valuable research experience. Her tribal college education prepared her for law and natural sciences graduate studies at Michigan, equipping her to serve her community.
She urges College Fund scholars and supporters to advocate for Native higher education initiatives in Washington. Read Jasmine’s blog TCU Set Stage for Student’s Success at University of Michigan.
Get Involved: Ways You Can Make a Difference
Read our latest blog posts to learn how you can help advocate for Native students and Tribal Colleges. Learn about the challenges faced by Indigenous communities and find out how students, faculty, and supporters can make a direct impact. Together, we can amplify Native voices and advocate for meaningful change.
Protect the Department of Education
The American Indian College Fund is concerned that Native students, whose equitable access to higher education hinges on federal programs (which are tied to Native tribes’ trust and treaty relationship with the federal government) will be disproportionately and negatively impacted by the dismantling of the department and the haphazard way the Trump Administration is going about it.
Protecting Minority-Serving Institutions and Tribal Colleges/Universities
Join American Indian College Fund President and CEO, Cheryl Crazy Bull, along with Gina Ann Garcia of UC Berkeley and Kayla Elliott of the Joint Center in this webinar to learn how MSIs and TCUs are organizing to protect and support their students.
In the Media: Advocacy in Action
Our advocacy efforts are making waves across the media. From policy discussions to stories about the success of Native students, see how the College Fund is shaping the national conversation. Check out our Media Mentions page to read about our latest appearances and contributions in the press.
Save The Department of Education
The Trump Administration is said to be preparing an Executive Order to abolish the Department of Education. Meanwhile H.R. 899 was reintroduced in the House of Representatives on January 31, 2025, composed of one sentence, “The Department of Education shall terminate on December 31, 2026.”
To help, all you need to do is make a few quick phone calls.
Follow these steps and call TODAY.
1. Call your elected representative and senators at their Congressional Offices and ask for their Legislative Director. To find your representative and senators, use the USA Gov tool.
2. Use this script for each call to your representative and senators:
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- Hello, my name is (blank). My zip code is (tell them your zip code). I am in full support of the Department of Education and oppose any legislation, including H.R. 899, or other efforts by the executive branch to abolish the Department of Education.
- Eliminating the Department of Education would devastate public schools, hurt students with disabilities, strip away civil rights protections for millions of students, and eliminate crucial workforce development programs that boost our economy. Education is a fundamental right, not a privilege for the wealthy.
- Thank you for your time! I appreciate your help.
IF LEAVING VOICEMAIL: Please leave your full street address to ensure your call is tallied.
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Register to Vote Today
Polls show Native people are most concerned with the high rate of MMIW, environmental protections, and economic development. Voting provides the opportunity to elect leaders who will address these issues and work with the U.S. Congress to appropriate funds for issues impacting Indian Country.
Acknowledge the Land
We honor and acknowledge that the American Indian College Fund is on the traditional territories and ancestral homelands of the Cheyenne and Arapahoe Nations. This area was also the site of trading, hunting, gathering, and healing for many other Native Nations: The Lakota, Ute, Kiowa, Comanche, Apache, Shoshone, and others.
We recognize the Indigenous peoples as the original stewards of the land, water, plants, and animals who called this place home. As these words of acknowledgement are spoken and heard, the ties that these nations have to their traditional homelands are renewed and reaffirmed.
Our mission is to ensure every Native student who wants to pursue higher education has the ability and the support to be successful. We do this so Native communities can heal and move forward in a self-sufficient manner.
Make a Statement
Deepen Your Knowledge
There has never been a better or more important time to deepen your knowledge of Native issues, to honor the contributions of our people, to confront the darker parts of our past, or to use your voice to amplify ours! So many people are already doing this and in doing so, are helping ensure a future of greater equity for Native people is on the horizon.
Statements on Affirmative Action
National Native Scholarship Providers Statement on Affirmative Action
The four organizations that comprise the National Native Scholarships Providers (the American Indian College Fund, the American Indian Science and Engineering Society, the Cobell Scholarship Program administered by Indigenous Education, Inc., and Native Forward Scholars Fund) are disheartened by the June 29th Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action and the potential impact it may have on our scholars.
The American Indian College Fund is honored by the ongoing public support of our mission and work.
Michelle Obama referenced us as one of the organizations that has long advocated for equity and fairness in higher education. Read about her own academic journey and the importance of affirmative action.
BeyGOOD, the public charity foundation founded by Beyonce Knowles-Carter, encourages supporting students and organizations that advocate on behalf of students.
