To commemorate Native American Heritage Month, AT&T is furthering its commitment to Indian Country with more than $1 million dollars in contributions to connect Native youth to education that leads them to the 21st century workforce. The contribution includes $600,000 to the American Indian College Fund (College Fund) and $450,000 to George Washington University (GW).
Cheryl Crazy Bull, President and CEO of the American Indian College Fund, accepted the award on behalf of the organization, which was chosen for its national work to provide higher education opportunities for American Indians.
Mills, an acclaimed-lifestyle brand headquartered in Portland, Oregon announces the release of an exclusive blanket to benefit the American Indian College Fund, the nation’s largest philanthropic effort supporting Native American higher education for more than 25 years. Naskan Saddle Blanket, a new release for 2016, represents the collaboration between Pendleton® and the College Fund to honor and reawaken a vital part of Native history.
Salt®, the best-in-class education-consumer literacy program provided by the nonprofit American Student Assistance®, is pleased to announce a partnership with the American Indian College Fund (the College Fund) to support tribal colleges and universities nationwide in offering money management advice, personalized student loan help, and straightforward budgeting tools free-of-charge to students and alumni.
Recently we were asked about the factors that make for a top college for Native Americans students. It is a great question and it really depends on individual student needs and goals; however, that does not make for a great blog. So I will answer this with a top ten list of things that Native American students should consider when choosing a college.
American Indian students have the lowest college graduation rate in the country, at just over 13%. In a new publication from the American Indian College Fund, several tribal colleges and universities share how to create systems and structures to promote Native student success.
I have relied heavily on scholarships to pay for my schooling and thanks to the American Indian College Fund I was able to attend the University of Montana and acquire my Bachelor’s degree without student loans. I now know what it takes to pursue and acquire a post-secondary education and this has given me motivation to go for my Masters of Public Health from the University of Montana
Internships, like scholarships, are an important piece of a student’s higher education process. Internships provide students with opportunities to improve their skills and confidence while allowing them to build relationships in their professional fields. Unfortunately, not all students have the opportunity to work as an intern.
Malcolm Macleod, President of the Johnson Scholarship Foundation, writes in the blog Giving Matters that the foundation stands with the American Indian College Fund to make scholarships a tool for social justice in achieving equity for Native peoples, mainly for education.
I was inspired to see Hilary Pennington’s article, “Rethinking scholarships as social justice” in the Ford Foundation’s Equals Change blog. Her article examines the approach in action through the implementation of the Ford Foundation’s International Fellowships Program, which spans 22 countries and a decade to support emerging leaders who face discrimination because of their gender, race, ethnicity, religion, economic status, or physical ability. Her essay opens the door to discussing and examining further why scholarships are particularly important to indigenous people as tools of social justice and opportunity.
