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 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.
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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
Join the American Indian College Fund in Support of the Indian Child Welfare Act: Vital to Native Culture, Identity, and Sovereignty
On November 9, the United States Supreme Court will hear oral arguments of Haaland v. Brackeen, the case concerning the constitutionality of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA). The stakes are high. The Supreme Court’s decision will ultimately determine whether the 44-year-old law that ensures Native children have the legal right to remain connected to their familial network, culture, and community will remain intact.
Press Release
American Indian College Fund Awards Three-Year American Indian Law School Scholarship to Jade Araujo to Attend Harvard Law School
Jade Araujo, an enrolled member of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) in Massachusetts and a descendant of the Tlingit and Koyukon Athabascan tribes in Alaska, is the third person to have been awarded the American Indian College Fund Law School Scholarship. Araujo is a senior at Stanford University who will graduate in June with a degree in political science and will enter Harvard Law School in the fall. She is the daughter of Todd Araujo (Aquinnah Wampanoag) and Jaeleen Kookesh (Tlingit and Koyukon Athabascan).
FOR STUDENTS
American Indian College Fund Hosts Virtual Annual Summer of Success Conference
The American Indian College Fund (College Fund) will host its Fifth Annual Summer of Success Conference: Cultivating Connections into Success from May 19 to May 21. This three-day, interactive online event is tailored to high school and college students, staff, faculty, and families, centering Native culture, experiences, and determinants of college success.
Programs
Featured News
American Indian College Fund’s Tiffany Gusbeth, VP of Student Success Services, Named A “Leading for Equity” Fellow
Tiffany Gusbeth (Northern Cheyenne Nation), Vice President of Student Success Services at the American Indian College Fund, was one of 12 individuals chosen nationwide to participate in the inaugural cohort of Leading for Equity Fellowship program through the National College Attainment Network (NCAN) and sponsored by UBS.
In Honor of Martin Luther King Jr.
On January 17 the nation honors Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his life’s work and contributions to civil rights in America. This year the commemoration is particularly poignant for Indian Country as we also mark the loss of Clyde Bellecourt, the last remaining founder of the Native American activist and civil rights group, the American Indian Movement (AIM).
American Indian College Fund Names 2021-22 Indigenous Visionaries
Indigenous community leaders create positive change in their communities. The American Indian College Fund is committed to developing women leaders across Indian Country through its Indigenous Visionaries Program in Tribal communities where tribal colleges and universities are located.
Student News
Career Advice — How to Develop a Career Plan
Work is part of life. A career is a more substantial way of thinking about your employment path. That is not to say your early jobs working at a fast food restaurant or a convenient store will not play out into your future plans, but if you make conscious choices about next steps you may be more aware of what you are learning while at them. And, if you take the time to think more intentionally about your career and work, you are more likely to enjoy it.
2017-19 Native Pathways to College Bridge Program Grantees
In the spring of 2017, the College Fund awarded four tribal college and university grantees $50,000 each for two consecutive years to implement a year-round program to increase the college readiness and college-going-environments for American Indian and Alaska Native high school sophomores, juniors and seniors preparing for a higher education.
Money Management — Making Common Cents
When tasked with the responsibility of clothing and feeding family, paying bills, keeping the car fueled and running, and paying for an education, you may feel overwhelmed. You are not alone. Understanding credit and debt management allows you to make fiscally responsible decisions. Financial literacy ranges from understanding how a checking account works to understanding your credit score.
News from our Progams Team
College Fund Programs Team
American Indian College Fund’s Ihduwiyayapi Advancing Indigenous Early Childhood Education (IECE) Builds Community of Practice for Indigenous Educators
American Indian College Fund’s Ihduwiyayapi Advancing Indigenous Early Childhood Education (IECE) Builds Community of Practice for Indigenous Educators
The Mellon Foundation Awards $2,585,000 to American Indian College Fund
The Mellon Foundation Awards...
Emily White Hat, American Indian College Fund VP of Programs, Delivers Proctor Academy 2022 Keynote Address
Emily White Hat (Sicangu Lakota), the VP of Programs at the American Indian College Fund and a member of the Proctor Academy board of trustees, delivered the keynote to the graduating class of 2022 on May 28.
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
