The Fund Marks its 20th Anniversary

Jan 6, 2009 | Archives, Blog

Here at the Fund we are celebrating 20 years as the nation’s premiere scholarship organization for American Indian students.

The Fund was created in 1989 by the tribal colleges and universities and private partners to raise scholarship funds and funding for America’s tribal colleges. The first tribal college was Diné College, founded as Navajo Community College, in 1968. Today there are 32 accredited tribal colleges and universities, which serve college students and provide much-needed services to American Indian communities.

The Fund has raised millions of dollars for scholarships and capital funding for campus infrastructure in its mission, and last year awarded nearly 4,000 scholarships to American Indian students to encourage students to remain in college, complete a college degree and build a better future for themselves, their families, and their communities.

We hope you will join us this year in celebrating our achievements over the past 20 years, while continuing to help us grow to meet the demands of our community so that they may realize their dreams of earning a college education and helping to effect change in Indian country and our nation.

Recent Blog Posts

Part of Who You Are

Part of Who You Are

Julie Buckman interviews Ella Robertson (Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate), a mostly self-taught artist who teaches Native American textiles at Sisseton Wahpeton College (SWC). Robertson recalls getting her start as a child making Barbie clothes on her aunt’s sewing machine. Today she is a renowned Dakota community artist and entrepreneur specializing in many art forms and created SWC’s logo, one of her many accomplishments.