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
Re-Name Mascots to End Harmful Stereotypes
Mascot Statement #TheTimeIsNow for racist sports team names and mascots to be re- named. The American Indian College Fund appreciates its long-time mission...
Press Release
American Indian College Fund Announces 2023-24 Indigenous Visionaries Cohort
The Indigenous Visionaries: Women’s Leadership Program (Indigenous Visionaries) at the American Indian College Fund (College Fund) supports the empowerment and success of Native women faculty and staff at tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) through a ten-month fellowship. Participating fellows receive a $4,000 stipend and place-based and experiential professional and personal development through guided training and cultural learning from College Fund staff and a broad network of Native women leaders.
FOR STUDENTS
American Indian College Fund and Pendleton Woolen Mills Name Student Deshawna Anderson as 2020 Tribal College Blanket Contest Winner
The American Indian College Fund and Pendleton Woolen Mills, the international lifestyle brand headquartered in Portland, Oregon, have selected Deshawna Anderson’s “The Courage to Bloom” as its 2020 Tribal College Blanket Contest winner. Anderson is an enrolled member of the Crow nation, an American Indian College Fund scholar, and a student attending Little Big Horn College, a tribal college in Crow Agency, Montana. She is studying business administration.
Programs
Featured News
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Student News
Native students CAN fight diabetes
Many Native students are entering health care fields to stem the tide of diabetes that is engulfing Indian Country. However, you don’t have to give in to the thought that diabetes is inevitable just because you are Native. Sure, it’s important for Indian Country to have trained health care workers to treat those who already have been diagnosed with diabetes, but the war on diabetes is best fought with prevention.
Guest Blog From Student Intern Deanna
This the tenth and final entry...
Guest Blog From Student Intern Deanna
This the ninth part in a...
News from our Progams Team
College Fund Programs Team
APS Foundation Supports Navajo Student STEM Scholarships with American Indian College Fund for Ninth Straight Year
Just under nine percent of Navajo people age 25 and older have achieved a college degree in the United States—compared to 30.9 percent of other groups nationwide.
Little Big Horn College Works with Families and Communities in STEM Activities
Under their For the Wisdom of the Children project, Little Big Horn College held a seminar in July for pre-service and classroom teachers to develop a thematic science/math unit with a culminating Parent Night activity.
What is STEM without Roots?
When it comes to STEM, it may be the roots that hold us in the field, the classroom, and in our love for science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
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
