Association on American Indian Affairs’ Partnership with American Indian College Fund Creates Pathways for College Access and Success
Denver, Colo. – Since 2020, the American Indian College Fund (College Fund) has partnered with the Association on American Indian Affairs (the Association) to help administer the oldest Native scholarship program in the United States. The Association on American Indian Affairs Scholarship Program has been providing funding to Native students in undergraduate and graduate programs since 1947. Enrolled citizens of Native nations who are also enrolled as full-time students with a minimum 2.5 GPA may apply. Natives from both federally recognized and non-federally recognized Native nations in the continental U.S. and Alaska are eligible.
More recently, the College Fund has also begun supporting the Association’s Center for Braiding Indigenous Knowledges and Science (CBIKS) scholarship that focuses on connecting Indigenous knowledge systems to western science by helping Native students find careers in biological sciences or Native studies. Both scholarship opportunities are funded by an endowment from the Elizabeth and Sherman Asche Memorial Scholarship, the Homborg Scholarship, the Mary Hemenway Memorial Funds, and donors. In the 2025-26 scholarship season, the association’s funding programs are expected to contribute $76,000 to the success of 35 Native scholars.
The College Fund assists with this effort by including both the Association Scholarship and CBIKS in its application and selection processes. Its one application process evaluates applicants for 385 scholarship programs. This streamlines the application process for interested Native students. Collaborative efforts like this leverage the strengths of various Native organizations to ensure students have both access and a pathway to success in higher education.
About the American Indian College Fund – The American Indian College Fund has been the nation’s largest charity supporting Native higher education for 35 years. The College Fund believes “Education is the answer” and provided $20.5 million in scholarships and other direct student support for access to a higher education steeped in Native culture and values to American Indian students in 2023-24. Since its founding in 1989 the College Fund has provided more than $349 million in scholarships, programs, community, and tribal college support. The College Fund also supports a variety of programs at the nation’s 34 accredited tribal colleges and universities, which are located on or near Indian reservations, ensuring students have the tools to graduate and succeed in their careers. The College Fund consistently receives top ratings from independent charity evaluators. It earned a four-star rating from Charity Navigator, a Gold Seal of Transparency from Guidestar, and the “Best in America Seal of Excellence” from the Independent Charities of America. The College Fund was also named as one of the nation’s top 100 charities to the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance. For more information about the American Indian College Fund, please visit www.collegefund.org.
Journalists—The American Indian College Fund does not use the acronym AICF. On second reference, please use the College Fund.
