Institutions

The College Fund supports Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) in their efforts to strengthen students, emergent leadership, education, language and culture, health and wellness, the environment, and so much more, all moving our mission of transforming Native lives and communities.

Our work in partnership with TCUs focuses on supporting our relatives from cradle to career and beyond. This institutional capacity-building work consists of supporting TCU grantee partners in co-visioning programming, technical support, professional development, research and networking opportunities, and program elements that directly support students’ and communities’ needs.

Cultivating Native Student Success

Cultivating Native Student Success provides tribal colleges and universities the opportunity to examine their current enrollment management approaches and design long-term strategies that include holistic, place-based, and collaborative student supports to promote transformative and systemic change that impacts Native student success.

2025 Cultivating Native Student Success Convening

The American Indian College Fund and AIHEC are excited to host an opportunity to learn, network, and advance TCU Native Student Success.

Native higher education experts, organization partners, and TCU staff will come together to engage in discussions, workshops and breakout sessions about the Native student journey, strategic enrollment management, data storytelling, and the constantly evolving landscape of higher education.

TCU Programs

Our Programs, in partnership with TCUs, strengthen degree programs, support faculty and staff, prioritize students, and engage tribal nation communities across several program areas of targeted impact: Native Arts, Environmental Stewardship, Computer Science, Indigenous Early Childhood Education, Native Teacher Education, Adult Education, Women’s Leadership, Native Student Veterans, and more.

Programs TCU Capacity Support and Impact
2023-2024 Data

$12.9+
MILLION

In Scholarships Awarded

4960+

Recipient Students

34

Recipient TCUs

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.

Institutions News

Read blog updates from our institutions teams

American Indian College Fund Announces 2023-24 Indigenous Visionaries Cohort

The Indigenous Visionaries: Women’s Leadership Program (Indigenous Visionaries) at the American Indian College Fund (College Fund) supports the empowerment and success of Native women faculty and staff at tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) through a ten-month fellowship. Participating fellows receive a $4,000 stipend and place-based and experiential professional and personal development through guided training and cultural learning from College Fund staff and a broad network of Native women leaders.

Building the Capacity of Early Childhood Education through Innovative Indigenous Approaches: Integrating Indigenous Culture, Philosophy, and Pedagogy into ECE Programming

Building the Capacity of Early Childhood Education through Innovative Indigenous Approaches: Integrating Indigenous Culture, Philosophy, and Pedagogy into ECE Programming

The 2022-2023 Ihduwiyayapi: Advancing Indigenous Early Childhood Education program grant from the American Indian College Fund at Little Priest Tribal College, titled Building the Capacity of Early Childhood Education through Innovative Indigenous Approaches, supported the Early Childhood Education (ECE) program at Little Priest Tribal College (LPTC) in a variety of ways to help indigenize ECE programming, curriculum, instruction, pathways, and the total educational experience of early childhood students.

American Indian College Fund Faculty Fellowships Develop Teaching and Research Expertise at Tribal Colleges and Universities

The American Indian College Fund (College Fund) awarded fellowships totaling $213,500 to 12 tribal college and university (TCU) faculty and staff in the spring of 2023. These fellowships support faculty pursuing graduate credits, master’s, or doctoral degrees. The College Fund’s faculty fellowship programs are creating greater education expertise in Indian Country, while building the academic and intellectual capacity of the 35 tribal colleges and universities it supports.