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
4960+
34
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.
(DRUM) Circles Project
TCU Developing Research in Undergraduate Mathematics
WestEd and the American Indian College Fund have partnered to create greater math success for Native students studying at tribal colleges.
Institutions News
Read blog updates from our institutions teams
Sinte Gleska University and Oglala Lakota College GED Programs Complete Site Visits
The GED programs at Sinte Gleska University (SGU) and Oglala Lakota College (OLC) have much in common. Both programs date back to the early 1970s, operate multiple classroom locations, and serve vast Indian reservations in South Dakota. And both GED programs are also recipients of the American Indian College Fund’s Dollar General GED grant.
Relationships: Children Discovering STEM with the World Around Them
Children are natural scientists and learn through exploring and creating props for play within their environment. Salish Kootenai College (SKC) Early Learning Center extends its learning community from inside walls to the outdoors, allowing children to discover the changes occurring in each season and to be immersed in nature.
With Few Role Models, Native Americans Struggle To Access Higher Education
American Indian College Fund President Cheryl Crazy Bull is interviewed for this California Public Radio story in which reporter Adolfo Guzman-Lopez reports that of the 280,000 students enrolled at University of California campuses, only about 1,100 of them are Native Americans — only about 100 more than 20 years ago.
College Fund Scholar Joins Supporter Diet Coke to Promote Conversation About Labels
Labels are tricky. They can mean different things to different people – and there’s no one-size-fits-all perspective. Some fight for and embrace labels as a means of connectivity, self-expression and, even, protection. Others reject the divisive labels that are imposed on them by others.
