Native-Focused Institutes and Centers
Supporting Indigenous communities and their cultures.
Search institutes and centers that support Indigenous communities and their cultures through research, community service, education, outreach, training, resources, and policy work.
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California Indian Culture and Sovereignty Center (CICSC)
California State University, San Marcos
Indigenous Sovereignty
The CICSC fosters collaborative research and community service relationships between the faculty, staff, and students of CSU San Marcos and members of Tribal communities, for the purpose of developing and conducting research projects that support the maintenance of sovereignty and culture within those communities.
Tribal Sovereignty Institute
University of Minnesota, Duluth
Indigenous Sovereignty
The mission of the Tribal Sovereignty Institute is to promote tribal sovereignty through education, outreach, research, tribal consultation and partnerships with Native Nations.
Contact:
umdais@d.umn.edu
umdmtag@d.umn.edu
218-726-8771
218-726-7335
American Indian Language Development Institute
University of Arizona
College of Social & Behavioral Sciences American Indian StudiesIndigenous Languages
The American Indian Language Development Institute’s (AILDI) mission is to provide critical training to strengthen efforts to revitalize and promote the use of Indigenous languages across generations. This is accomplished by engaging educators, schools, Indigenous communities and policy makers nationally and internationally through outreach, transformative teaching, purposeful research and collaborative partnerships. As a result of our work, we envision that the larger society will know that language revitalization is critical to sustain and reinforce Indigenous linguistic, cultural, and spiritual health and identity.
Alaska Native Language Center
University of Alaska – Fairbanks
Yup’ik and Iñupiaq Languages
The Alaska Native Language Center at the University of Alaska Fairbanks has the resources and programs to help you build a solid foundation in Alaska Native languages, linguistics and cultural history. Opportunities include undergraduate and associate degrees, as well as professional certificates, in languages such as Yup’ik Language and Iñupiaq Language. We offer the only bachelor’s degree granting programs in Alaska Native languages in the world.
Electa Quinney Institute for American Indian Education
University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee
Inspired by our namesake Electa Quinney, a Stockbridge Munsee Mohican and Wisconsin’s first teacher, the focus of the Institute is to strengthen and celebrate American Indian education at the local, regional and national level with strong connections to indigenous teaching practices around the globe. Through a generous gift of the Indian Community School Inc., the Electa Quinney Institute has endowed professorships in the School of Education with a strategic plan and vision for connecting American Indian programs at UWM with the Milwaukee and Wisconsin community.
Native Nations Institute
University of Arizona
Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy
Indigenous Governance & Native Nation Rebuilding
The Native Nations Institute is the leading research, education, and outreach organization supporting the nation-rebuilding efforts of Indigenous peoples worldwide as they seek to strengthen their internal governance capacities and realize their own political, economic, and community development objectives.
Leadership Institute
Santa Fe Indian School
Community-based Indigenous Policy
The LI was launched over 20 years ago based on the nonexistence of any forum to discuss the most critical policy issues that impact the Native tribes of NM. Modeled after some of the nation’s top think tanks, the LI is unique due to its culturally and community-based approach.
Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals
Northern Arizona University
Tribal Sovereignty
ITEP strengthens tribal capacity and sovereignty in environmental and natural resource management through culturally relevant education, research, partnerships and policy-based services.
Contact:
itep@nau.edu
Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative
University of Arkansas
Tribal Sovereignty
Our mission is to enhance the health and wellness of tribal communities by advancing healthy food systems, diversified economic development, and cultural food traditions. We provide strategic legal analysis, policy research, and educational resources to empower Indian Country through food sovereignty, agriculture, and economic development.
Contact:
ifai@uark.edu
479-575-5666
Indigenous Resilience Center (IRes)
University of Arizona
Arizona Institute for Resilient Environments and SocietiesSustainability
The Indigenous Resilience Center is supported by the Agnese Nelms Haury Program in Environment and Social Justice. It aims to position the University of Arizona as a world leader in Indigenous resilience research, education, and outreach
Contact:
Daniel Sestiaga Jr.
dsestiaga@arizona.edu
High Plains American Indian Research Institute
University of Wyoming
HPAIRI is an entity that tribes and scholars can access and utilize for both tribally-driven research and for research initiated by UW scholars that pertains to Native American people, their lands, and resources.
Contact:
HPAIRI@uwyo.edu
307-766-8967
Indigenous Research Center of the Americas (IRCA)
University of California, Davis
Native American Studies (NAS)
Since its founding in 1991, the Indigenous Research Center of the Americas (IRCA) has served as a forum for sharing knowledge and reflections on indigenous cultures and the inherent decolonial struggles for higher levels of autonomy, sovereignty, and self-determination in Native nations across the hemisphere.
Indian Resources Development (IRD)
New Mexico State University
College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
Indian Resources Development (IRD) is a statewide program, in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at New Mexico State University. IRD offers educational and professional development opportunities for Native American students in high school and college; and supports tribal nations in New Mexico in advancing their economic development goals in agriculture, natural resources, engineering, energy, business, workforce development, and education.
National Resource Center for Alaska Native Elders
University of Alaska Anchorage
The goal of the NRC-ANE is to develop, produce, and disseminate resources that support and advance positive aging in Alaska. We strive to provide elders, family members, caregivers, Title VI directors and the general public with useful information and products.
Contact:
uaa_nrcelders@alaska.edu
Tribal Colleges and Universities
Tribal colleges and universities provide dynamic higher education opportunities, most on or near reservation lands. Known for their remarkable programs, culturally-relevant curricula, and familial student care – tribal colleges allow students to further their careers, attain an advanced degree, or better support their communities.
