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.
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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
Why Give An Indigenous Land Acknowledgment (and How to Make It Matter)
By Cheryl Crazy Bull, President and CEO, American Indian College Fund November is Native American Heritage Month, but for Native people, every month is a...
Press Release
Little Priest Tribal College Mourns the Loss of Former Interim President and Board Member and an Icon of Tribal College Movement
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Manoj Patil, President, Little Priest Tribal College 402.878.2380 president@littlepriest.edu Winnebago, Neb. – November 9, 2023 - Little Priest Tribal College (LPTC) is mourning the loss of former Interim President and Board member Mr....
FOR STUDENTS
Actor Zahn McClarnon Visits College Fund at LNI
The Student Success Services team had a surprise visitor at its booth last week at the 44th Lakota Nation Invitational in Rapid City, South Dakota. Actor Zahn McClarnon, starring in the 2021 FX on Hulu series Reservation Dogs (also known for his performances in Longmire, Fargo, and Westworld) stopped by to say hello.
Programs
Featured News
Donate! COVID-19 Emergency Relief Funding Needed
For most Americans, adequate, functioning infrastructure and technology make coronavirus-related closures bearable, even workable. In Indian country, the picture can be devastating.
Student News
Amber: My Reason for College
I’ve been going to school off and on for eight years now. It may be another four years before I get my master’s degree in education! My gram laughs and says, “You’re going to be an old lady by the time you finish school and start working!” I just laugh along with her.
Student Blogger Amber: Summer Fishing
My hometown, Unalakleet, is an Inupiaq village located in the Norton Sound region of Alaska. We get a great deal of wind in our area because Unalakleet is located right on the coast: the Bering Sea. The town consists of about 750 people year-round. Most residents are of Inupiat Eskimo descent. The non-Natives that reside in Unalakleet are mostly teachers.
Native Students Travel to D.C. for Forum about Minority Health Issues
Last week I accompanied five American Indian College Fund Scholars to the United Health Foundation’s Annual Diverse Scholars Forum in Washington, D.C. These students have been supported by the United Health Foundation with scholarships to pursue degrees ranging from physical therapy and exercise science to nursing and health occupations.
News from our Progams Team
College Fund Programs Team
Former College Funder Yazzie-Mintz Named Brock Prize Recipient
Congratulations to Dr. Tarajean Yazzie-Mintz (Diné), our former colleague who served as vice president for program initiatives at the American Indian College Fund, who was named the 2020 Brock Prize in Education Innovation Laureate.
Dollar General GED/HSE Program: Spotlight on Counselor/GED Tutor, Rhea E. LeCompte
Rhea E. LeCompte, Lakota name He’SkaWin (she comes from the white mountains), has seen many changes in OLC’s ABE/GED program since she started her work as a counselor/GED tutor at Oglala Lakota College’s (OLC) Cheyenne River College Center last September.
The Inaugural Anishinaabe Early Childhood Symposium: A gift to our teachers
The Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community College (KBOCC) Agriculture and Arts Center hosted the inaugural Anishinaabe Early Childhood Symposium in October.
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
