The future of my nation begins with my education.
The future of my nation begins with my education.
Our Vision
The vision of the American Indian College Fund is for healthy, self-sufficient, and educated American Indian and Alaska Native people.
Since its founding in 1989, the American Indian College Fund has been the nation’s largest charity supporting Native student access to higher education.
We provide scholarships and programming for American Indian and Alaska Native students to access higher education. And once students are in college, we provide them with the tools and support to succeed.
President Cheryl Crazy Bull of the American Indian College Fund shares how your support helps Native American students—and why it matters more than ever.
Celebrate Native Graduates Across Indian Country
We’re celebrating the strength, dedication, and achievement of Native scholars nationwide. Whether earning a diploma, certificate, or college degree—your journey is powerful. Congratulations on investing in yourself and your future!
Featured News
Advocacy Works: Save Pell Grants!
Your Calls Worked with the Senate.
Next Step: Call Your Representatives
On behalf of American Indian students, of which more than 75% rely upon Pell Grants for Funding, we thank you for your ongoing work to engage with your elected officials regarding Pell Grants. As a result of your letters and calls, there has been significant progress in the Senate version of the bill affecting Pell Grants.
But our work is not finished! The next step to save Pell is to push for the House of Representatives to accept the Senate provisions in the final reconciliation package by July 4th!
Tribal College Blanket Design Contest
The latest student-designed blanket from the American Indian College Fund and Pendleton Woolen Mills is here. Created by Diné artist Angelena Cheama, Infinite Prayer honors Navajo weaving traditions and the strength of generational prayers. Proceeds support Native student scholarships.
Tribal College Blanket Design Contest
The Tribal College Blanket Design Contest, now in its seventh year, elevates the voices, work, and representation of tribal college and university (TCU) students through a high-profile platform to recognize and develop the work of promising artists through internationally distributed products—while providing TCU students with additional scholarship opportunities. The winning designs are featured in Pendleton’s American Indian College Fund collection, which features wool blankets. Pendleton, which has worked with the College Fund since 1995, has provided over $1 million in scholarship support for American Indian and Alaska Native students attending TCUs.
Featured Reports
Report on Native Higher Education Success Strategies
The American Indian College Fund held a joint convening with the Brookings Institute and the Institute of Higher Education Policy to examine the status of Native higher education policy and create a proactive, strategic approach to increase policy engagement for Native students and their allies. This report highlights the findings and recommendations of the convening and lays the groundwork for further activities. Read the executive summary, the full report, or view the webinar to learn more.
Cheryl Crazy Bull Publishes Brief on Native Student College Access
The Campaign for College Opportunity published “Ensuring College Access and Success for American Indian/Alaska Native Students,” authored by Cheryl Crazy Bull, President and CEO of the American Indian College Fund, as part of its “Affirming Equity, Ensuring Inclusion, and Empowering Action,” a national initiative that elevates best practices supporting the college preparation, admission, affordability, and success of minoritized students that came in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to curtail the use of race in college and universities admissions. The Campaign’s national initiative seeks to ensure America does not return to an era of exclusion in higher education.
Show More
Despite centuries of trauma connected with education as an assimilation tool, American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) peoples have remained resilient and advocated tirelessly to achieve equal opportunity in higher education, building a movement to restore Native culture and community life with the creation of tribally controlled colleges and universities (TCUs). Yet the participation of AIAN people in higher education remains low with 16% of AIAN people ages 25-64 earn a bachelor’s degree compared to 32% of the rest of the U.S. population. The number of Native youths in higher education is significantly less than that of the rest of the U.S. population and substantially decreased over the last 10-15 years.
President Crazy Bull urges all colleges and universities to strive for ensuring equal opportunity, inclusion, and creating a strong sense of belonging on their campuses, and for learning from TCUs to build education institutions that honor Native identity and empower these students to succeed. “Ensuring College Access and Success for American Indian/Alaska Native Students” presents the current state of higher education access and completion for American Indian/Alaska Native Students (AIAN) and details a series of best practices and recommendations that ensure AIAN students can succeed in higher education without abandoning their cultures. The brief also explores how leaders at the federal, state, and institutional level can ensure access to higher education for AIAN students in ways that affirm their cultures and the unique sovereign political status of American Indian and Alaska Natives.
Our Impact
$310.6
MILLION
Invested into Native Communities
159,652
SCHOLARSHIPS
Awarded since 1989
93%
OF OUR SCHOLARS
Give back to their communities
How Your Donations are Used
4%
Management and General
23%
Fundraising
73%
Scholarships, Programs, and Public Education
A Commitment to Donors
Guidestar
2023 Gold Seal of Transparency
Best Charity
Certified by America’s best charities
Charity Navigator
View our Charity Navigator profile
BBB Wise Giving Alliance
View our give.org charity profile
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.
Watch: Jasmine Neosh on the Importance of Supporting Tribal Colleges
Jasmine Neosh (Bear Clan, Menominee) is a College Fund ambassador and third-year law student at the University of Michigan. Live from Ann Arbor, she highlights the need to protect federal programs that expand Native students’ access to tribal colleges.
Once burdened by student loan debt and housing instability, Jasmine found opportunity at the College of Menominee Nation, where she earned her undergraduate degree and gained valuable research experience. Her tribal college education prepared her for law and natural sciences graduate studies at Michigan, equipping her to serve her community.
She urges College Fund scholars and supporters to advocate for Native higher education initiatives in Washington.
Recent Blog Posts
From Our President
College Fund Applauds Upholding of Native Sovereignty
In her latest blog, American Indian College Fund President and CEO Cheryl Crazy Bull offers a statement on the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision in Haaland v. Brackeen. Learn about the importance of this case not only in ensuring that Native children have the ability to be raised in their own communities but in reaffirming the sovereignty of Tribal nations.
Press Release
American Indian College Fund Publishes Tribal College and University Research Journal Volume 7
American Indian College Fund Publishes Tribal College and University Research Journal Volume 7 Focus is Student Support, Academic Outcomes and Diné Educational Philosophy Denver, Colo., July 16, 2024 —The American Indian College Fund has published Volume 7 of the...
FOR STUDENTS
Still Time to Apply for Federal Financial Aid!
There is still time this summer to submit your application for federal financial aid. Students can receive up to $7,395 for their education per year through the Pell Grant program! Combining scholarships and federal financial aid makes good economic sense. Don’t leave...
Programs
United Tribes Technical College Publishes Video Series on Teacher Education Program
The United Tribes Technical College (UTTC) Teacher Education Program released a series of videos to support program recruitment covering a wide range of topics and perspectives from current and past students, tribal elders, and education administrators. The program is funded by the American Indian College Fund (College Fund), through the Wounspekiya Unspewicakiyapi Native Teacher Education pilot program.
Featured News
Sovereign Nation Series: Native Votes Matter
I am asking my Indigenous relatives to vote despite, and because of, our knowledge about our history and contemporary experiences. Without our voices at the polls, we cannot rectify the ongoing harm to our people and to others that is a reflection of the political climate and how resources are distributed.
American Indian College Fund President and CEO, Cheryl Crazy Bull, Named as Member of the Thrive Leaders Network
The Kresge Foundation has named Cheryl Crazy Bull, President and CEO of the American Indian College Fund, a member of the newly created Thrive Leaders Network.
The American Indian College Fund Announces 2022-23 Student Ambassadors
The American Indian College Fund selected and trained 11 new student ambassadors for its 2022-23 cohort. Now in its eighth year, the College Fund Student Ambassador Program gives Indigenous students the leadership and communications skills to create greater visibility of Native Americans and an understanding of the importance of their diverse cultures.
Student News
#Indigetern Native Student Intern Stories — Anitra
#Indegetern is our new campaign to highlight stories and reflections of Native students who have interned in businesses, organizations, agencies, and tribal communities across the country.
The Benefits of a Gap Year (or Years) Before Medical School
My name is Casey Smith and I am Diné (Navajo). My clans are Honágháanii (One Who Walks Around) and Tsi’naajinii (Black Streak Wood People). I grew up in New Mexico where the red rocks and sagebrush are bountiful, and moved to the luscious green (in summer) and frigid (in winter) climate of the Midwest where I am a third-year medical student at the University of Minnesota.
Sinte Gleska University Celebrates 35th GED Graduation
GED graduation marks the beginning of a new chapter for adult learners—one filled with increased education and employment opportunities. Family, friends, and community members gathered to celebrate that new chapter for 14 adult learners at the 35th Annual GED Graduation Ceremony held in conjunction with Sinte Gleska University’s 46th Annual Graduation Ceremony on August 24 at the Wakinyan Wanbli Multipurpose Building on the university’s Antelope Lake campus in Mission, S.D.
News from our Progams Team
College Fund Programs Team
SGU Connects Arts and Culture to GED Classroom
Sinte Gleska University’s high school equivalency students become grounded in their cultural identities as they lead community engagement efforts through Native Arts workshops.
Giving Back to Native Youth
Jeri’s first step to achieving her dream of serving and supporting Native youth is completing her high school equivalency degree at Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe University.
Sakhíb naúŋžiŋpi “Standing Together”
By Dr. Chris Fried, Professor...
College Fund in the News
Tribal Colleges Face Uncertain Future Amid Federal Funding Cuts
Higher Education for Native Students at a Crossroads
Tribal College Campuses Are Falling Apart. The U.S. Hasn’t Fulfilled Its Promise to Fund the Schools.
Cheryl Crazy Bull Publishes Brief on Native Student College Access
Jasmine Seeks Role as Voice for Her People and Environment as University of Michigan Law Student
