With the help of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation five years ago, the American Indian College Fund launched its Sacred Little Ones early childhood education program at four tribal colleges. The program aimed to improve Native children’s school readiness and create a platform for their academic success by third grade.
Involving families and community members in the development of culturally relevant education programs for their early-childhood aged children improves their skills and academic readiness, according to a five-year program conducted by the American Indian College Fund (the College Fund). The findings have relevance for children in underserved communities nationwide.
Denver-based American Indian College Fund will present a session on the community and socio-cultural return on investment that tribal colleges and universities bring to their communities at the American Anthropological Association Annual Meeting November 18 at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, Colorado.
One percent of American Indian students are in college today, and only 13% today have a college degree—half of the national average—making them the most underserved group in America. The American Indian College Fund is hosting events in Chicago and Minneapolis to show how you can help Native scholars can overcome the odds to get a college degree.
National scholarship providers are often unaware of the special challenges American Indian students face when entering college. Tiffany Gusbeth, a member of the Northern Cheyenne tribe and a Program Manager for the Full Circle Scholarships program at the American Indian College Fund, spoke at the National Scholarships Providers Association annual meeting in Charleston, South Carolina in October, providing an inside view about those challenges and tips and tools to help them succeed.
Living conditions on American Indian reservations and in Alaska Native villages are often compared to those in third world countries. Substandard housing, limited access to health care, struggling schools, high unemployment and heavy reliance on social welfare systems have created a dangerous environment for Native youth.
Community members interested in social justice for American Indians and race reconciliation can learn from Cheryl Crazy Bull, President and CEO of the American Indian College Fund. Crazy Bull will speak at the University of Colorado Denver’s Indigenous Peoples Day event October 12 from 9:30-11:30 a.m. in the Tivoli Multi-Cultural Lounge at the University of Colorado Denver Campus in Denver.
In September of 2015, Bridget Skenadore, Native Arts and Culture Project Coordinator, presented at the 2016 International Conference of Indigenous Archives, Libraries and Museums conference hosted by the Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries and Museums (ATALM) in Washington, DC. The annual conference allows of an exchange of dialogue between Indigenous organizations, museums and libraries “who work to protect and advance cultural sovereignty
Nonprofit professionals nationwide can learn how to grow their careers as well as the best technology practices in the field from Joshua Bekerman, Information and Technology Services Manager for the American Indian College Fund. Bekerman has been invited to speak at the Blackbaud Conference for the Philanthropic Community in Austin, Texas October 26-28 for the third consecutive year.
Congratulations to American Indian College Fund (the College Fund) President Cheryl Crazy Bull, who was named as one of the 50 Faces of Indian Country in Indian Country Today magazine for her lifelong contributions to Native education.
