Press Releases
American Indian College Fund Awards Four Tribal Colleges with Four-Year Computer Science Initiative Grants
Computer science education provides today’s college students the necessary skills and opportunities to thrive in today’s world. Yet American Indian and Alaska Native peoples are still and have been historically underrepresented in the computer science fields. To remedy that, the American Indian College Fund launched its Tribal College and University Computer Science Initiative to create new and expand existing computer science programs at higher education institutions serving American Indian and Alaska Native students to meet the community and workforce needs of Indigenous communities and to provide career opportunities for Native students in computer science fields.
American Indian College Fund Receives Unrestricted Gift from MacKenzie Scott Foundation
The College Fund learned the MacKenzie Scott Foundation, headed by the billionaire novelist and philanthropist of the same name and her husband Dan Jewett, selected it to receive an unrestricted gift. Cheryl Crazy Bull, President and CEO of the American Indian College Fund said, “This gift is timely and pivotal because, in combination with the generosity of our network of current and future supporters, we now have the capacity to grow greater opportunities for American Indian and Alaska Native communities and to create lasting change. MacKenzie Scott and Dan Jewett’s acknowledgement of our work is a testament to the important role of education to transform the lives of our students, their families, and communities.”
The College Fund is committed to eliminating the college attainment gap among Indigenous people and continues to appreciate and rely upon the support of every one of its current and future supporters to meet its goals to transform the lives of Indigenous students, their families, and their communities through a higher education.
Statement from Cheryl Crazy Bull About Mass Grave at Kamloops Indian Residential School
June 8, 2021, Denver, Colo.—The discovery of a mass grave containing the remains of 215 Indigenous children at the Kamloops Indian Residential School in Canada has, once again, ignited the trauma of Indigenous people across North America.
THE AMERICAN INDIAN COLLEGE FUND NAMED A 2021 COLORADO TOP WORKPLACE
The American Indian College Fund was awarded a Top Workplaces 2021 honor for the third year in a row. The College Fund has been the nation’s largest charity supporting Native higher education for 31 years.
American Indian College Fund Offers $20 Gift Card for Scholarship Applicants Attending Tribal Colleges and Universities
Native American students interested in attending college who are seeking a scholarship from the American Indian College Fund have an additional incentive to apply this year—the College Fund is offering $20 gift cards for every student that completes an application by April 30.
American Indian College Fund Honors Tribal College Students of the Year, Coca Cola Scholars, and Tribal College and University Professional of the Year
The American Indian College Fund will honor 35 Tribal College and University Students of the Year, 36 Coca Cola First Generation Scholars, and its 2020-21 Tribal College and University Professional of the Year at a virtual ceremony April 5 from 6-7:30 p.m. M.D.T.
ECMC Foundation Grants $1.125 Million to American Indian College Fund to Boost Workforce in North Dakota and Montana
The American Indian College Fund is announcing ECMC Foundation’s grant of $1.125 million to fund two programs at tribal colleges and universities in North Dakota and Montana. This grant will help fuel Native American student success in careers in healthcare and education.
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
Little Big Horn College Student Deshawna Anderson Created “The Courage to Bloom” Denver, Colo., March 25, 2021 — Pendleton Woolen Mills, the acclaimed lifestyle brand of Portland, Oregon, together with the Denver-based American Indian College Fund, are announcing its...
AT&T Gives $1.5 Million in Pandemic-Related Supplies to More Than 20 Tribal Colleges and Universities
The American Indian College Fund and the American Indian Higher Education Consortium are receiving $1.5M in pandemic-related supplies including hand sanitizer, disinfectant and gloves. Both organizations are working with AT&T to distribute the supplies to more than 20 tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) across the country.
Our Vision
The American Indian College Fund was founded in 1989. For 30 years, the College Fund has been the nation’s largest charity supporting Native student access to higher education. We provide scholarships, programming to improve Native American student access to higher education, and the support and tools for them to succeed once they are there.
Our Commitment to Supporters
The College Fund consistently receives top ratings from independent charity evaluators.
- The College Fund meets the Charity Accountability Standards of the Better Business Bureau‘s Wise Giving Alliance.
- The College Fund received a Gold Seal of Transparency from GuideStar.
- The College Fund consistently receives high ratings from Charity Navigator.
- The College Fund received a B+ rating from Charity Watch.
How Your Donations Are Used
- 73%: Scholarships, programs, and public education
- 5%: Management and general
- 22%: Fundraising