Press Releases
American Indian College Fund Receives $5.315 Million to Support Indigenous Early Childhood Education
Denver, Colo.—October 6, 2021– The American Indian College Fund’s Indigenous Early Childhood Education program is poised to continue its work at tribal colleges and universities over the next four years thanks to a $5,315,000 grant from the Bezos Family Foundation.
Dollar General Literacy Foundation Grants $300,000 to American Indian College Fund for High School Equivalency Programs at Tribal Colleges
Denver, Colo.—September 29, 2021– The Dollar General Literacy Foundation is continuing its work with the American Indian College Fund to increase the number of Native American high school graduates through the award of $300,000 for the Native Students Stepping Forward: Dollar General High School Equivalency Completion program.
Top Performers Join Forces with American Indian College Fund for Free Online Indigenous Peoples Day Concert
Denver, Colo.—September 27, 2021– Mark your calendars! The American Indian College Fund is hosting a free streaming concert to celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day on Sunday, October 10, 2021, at 6:30 p.m. MDT. The event will feature performances by Native entertainers and artists allied with Native causes from across the nation.
American Indian College Fund Sponsors Five Tribal College Environmental Science Programs
Program to Develop Culturally Relevant Science Programming to Benefit Tribal Communities and Lands in Northern Great Plains States Denver, Colo.—August 5, 2021–The American Indian College Fund’s Obdaya Opta Tate Kin Kah’Boke (Winds Blowing Across the Prairie) project...
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.
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