Invest in Native American college students today.
Invest in Native American college students today.
Our Vision: Empowering Native Communities
The vision of the American Indian College Fund is for healthy, self-sufficient, and educated American Indian and Alaska Native people.
Nearly 60 years ago, the Tribal College and University (TCU) movement took flight—born from the vision of Native leaders determined to reclaim education for their communities.
At TCUs curriculum is rooted in Indigenous values, cultural knowledge is passed down, and students build healthy, stable lives for themselves, their families, and the next seven generations.
President Cheryl Crazy Bull of the American Indian College Fund shares how our work and the work of the TCUs have transformed thousands of lives—and how your continued support is helping Native students reach heights their ancestors always dreamed of.
Reclaim Native Democracy
Democracy Has Native Roots.
Democracy didn’t arrive here. It evolved here. Systems of governance existed across Native nations long before European contact.
Consensus-building, clan systems, women’s councils, intertribal diplomacy, confederacies – these are democratic structures.
The land itself shaped governance models rooted in responsibility, balance, and collective wellbeing.
The Native vote impacts our education, our lands, our health, culture and future generations.
Featured News
“Power in Culture: A Study on Campus Climate and Sense of Belonging for Indigenous Students” Research Released
Three members of the National Native Scholarship Providers (NNSP) group, which includes the American Indian College Fund, AISES, and Cobell Scholarship, Inc., collaborated on the research and release of a new study, “Power in Culture: A Study on Campus Climate and Sense of Belonging for Indigenous Students.” Indigenous students surveyed shared what factors make them feel they belong, stay enrolled in college, and graduate.
Because of You
Because of you, TCU faculty, Native students are learning, leading, and realizing their dreams. Your belief in them creates classrooms where culture and knowledge grow side by side. Together, we are shaping leaders who will strengthen their nations for generations to come. Thank you, faculty.
Our Impact: Native American Scholarships and Student Success
$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
20%
Fundraising
76%
Scholarships, Programs, and Public Education
A Commitment to Donors: The Most-Trusted Native American Nonprofit
Candid
2025 Platinum 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:
Culture-Based Native American Higher Education
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.
Recent Blog Posts
From Our President
We Will Not Be Erased
The American Indian College Fund urges education about Native peoples, cultures, and histories for media and citizens.
Featured News
FOR STUDENTS
American Indian College Fund Launches “Make Native Voices Heard” Voting Campaign
Native Americans are more impacted by the law than any other group in the United States. Native students in higher education, or seeking a higher education, in particular are impacted by federal and state laws impacting funding for education, such as Pell Grants, student loans, and federal funding for tribal colleges and universities (TCUs), 70% of which comes from federal sources.
Programs
Featured News
Charity Navigator Highlights the American Indian College Fund
Charity Navigator, a respected charity watchdog organization, is highlighting Native American charities on its blog as part of its strengthened commitment to promoting a more equitable social sector by encouraging both organizations and donors to consider aspects of diversity, equity, and inclusion in their decision-making.
Charitable Giving Opportunity Under CARES Act
You may be able to decrease your taxable income in 2020 through The CARES Act. The law allows taxpayers who do not itemize deductions to take up to a $300 deduction for a cash contribution made to qualifying organizations such as the American Indian College Fund in 2020. In previous tax years and normal tax rules, you cannot deduct charitable donations unless you itemize deductions.
For those who do itemize deductions, the CARES ACT has suspended limits on charitable contributions for the tax year 2020. This year taxpayers can deduct donations for up to 100% of their adjusted gross income. Previously the rules allowed deductions up to 60% of your income. For those in a position to do so, one can give up to 100% of their income and owe zero in taxes. Donations must be made by midnight, December 31, 2020.
American Indian College Fund Teams with Ford Motor Company Fund to Provide Native-Serving Organizations with $134,611 in Protective Gear
Native American communities suffer from coronavirus infection rates greater than 3.5 times that of white people, according to the Centers for Disease Control. So, when the Ford Motor Company Fund (the Ford Fund), a longtime supporter of the American Indian College Fund, proposed partnering with College Fund to deliver personal protective equipment (PPE) to non-profit organizations serving Native communities and Colorado communities in need, the College Fund jumped at the chance.
Student News
Walmart Foundation Scholarship Student Discovers New Horizons
I was chosen to attend the American Indian Science and Engineering Society National Conference (AISES) in Orlando, Florida. I would first like to thank you very much for this amazing opportunity to represent the Walmart Foundation, the American Indian College Fund, Salish Kootenai College, and the Big Valley Rancheria Band of Pomo Indians.
Meet Our Summer Interns
Ian Stand (Sac and Fox Nation) is a senior Indigenous and American Indian studies major at Haskell Indian Nations University. He comes from the San Francisco Bay Area and is a student-athlete who competes with the shot put and discus on the track and field team.
Student Blogger, Ulrick talks about C.H.A.N.G.E.
Making a connection to your...
News from our Progams Team
College Fund Programs Team
SIPI: Supporting Our HSE Students During the Coronavirus Pandemic
By Jim Snyder, SIPI HSE...
Spring Resurgence: GED classrooms open to students
The Oglala Lakota College Community Continuing Education/GED department is slowly transitioning out of online-only programming as the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic lessen. Now more than one GED student at a time can be in the college centers, as long as there is still only one student and tutor per classroom.
Sinte Gleska University GED Tutor Comes Full Circle
by Sherman Marshall, SGU Adult...
College Fund in the News
Federal budget could shutter America's Tribal colleges and universities
New computer science in art degree brings worlds together at Santa Fe’s IAIA
Tribal Colleges Brace for Disruption as Oversight Shifts to Interior Department
Why We Must Fully Fund Tribal Colleges and Universities
