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.
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
Journeys Matter—And So Do State Laws
On Monday, June 28, I was privileged to be a witness. I wanted to share what I saw and heard. That day the Governor of Colorado, Jared Polis, signed three pieces of legislation at the Denver Indian Center in full view of many people from the Denver Indian community and in the presence of key elected officials and government officials. He was joined by representatives of the Southern Ute Nation, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, and the Northern Arapaho of Wyoming as well the Lt. Governor Dianne Primavera, who oversees the Colorado Commission on Indian Affairs.
Press Release
American Indian College Fund Offers Three-Year American Indian Law School Scholarship to Attend Harvard Law School
A law degree is foundational for Native leaders to ensure the rights of their sovereign Nations and citizens. Law school graduates work as lawyers, in public policy, government, law enforcement, education, and more.
FOR STUDENTS
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.
Programs
Featured News
Samantha Maltais Awarded Three-Year American Indian Law School Scholarship to Attend Harvard Law School
Thanks to a gift of $1 million from an anonymous donor, the American Indian College Fund awarded its second three-year American Indian Law School Scholarship to Samantha Maltais, an enrolled member of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head/Aquinnah located on Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, for the term beginning in the fall of 2021-22. The scholarship covers all costs of attendance, including tuition, for the three-year course of study at Harvard Law School.
The American Indian College Fund Student-Designed Pendleton Blanket Available for Purchase
The American Indian College...
Deb Haaland Confirmed as U.S. Secretary of Interior
Deb Haaland will be a leader of the U.S. Department of Interior for all of America. But as an Indigenous woman who lives her identity, she will honor our ancestors and while making decisions about future generations of Indian people as a visible part of all of America.
Student News
Wal-Mart Foundation Tribal College Scholarship Gives Students Personal and Professional Development Opportunities
Katie, a Minnesota Chippewa student at Bay Mills Community College in Michigan, and Keri, a member of the Cheyenne River Sioux tribe studying at Oglala Lakota College in South Dakota, are both American Indian College Fund scholars who had the opportunity to network and learn more about educational and career opportunities through a partnership with the College Fund and the Wal-Mart Foundation.
Intern Sees Stories in Numbers
I attended Blackfeet Community College for a year and a half, where I learned of this internship opportunity through the American Indian College Fund as a Tribal College and University research intern. I knew that a new journey was starting anew. I was excited, nervous, but mostly ready to take that step.
College Fund Research Intern Presents at National Family and Community Engagement Conference
My name is Cassandra Harden. I am a graduated from Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute (SIPI) with an associate’s degree in early childhood education who is currently working as a Tribal College and University (TCU) research intern for the College Fund.
News from our Progams Team
College Fund Programs Team
Wave of Change through Higher Education
Kayla Dix (Salish) Early...
Sharing of a Culture – A Collaborative Joining of Resources
LouAnne Hoskinson (Confederated...
The Transition
Just about every educational institution worldwide made the transition to distance learning; some have been successful while others are still struggling. Tohono O’odham Community College’s GED program made the transition to online instruction this semester. Though it is still a trial and error process, our work is progressing.
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
