Think Indian Community Awareness Grants

Think Indian Community Awareness Grants of $2,500 are available to student groups and accredited higher education institutions. These grants encourage institutions who serve Native students to promote the positive message of “Think Indian,” the vibrancy of Native students, and the highlight the support provided by Native scholarship programs to their campus and community.

“Think Indian” was originally created as a public awareness campaign to promote the American Indian College Fund, and the many ways that its scholars contribute to, and change our world. Its message connected so deeply with Native students and institutions that it was revived in 2018, specifically to promote the College Fund’s scholarship, and other student programs.

The American Indian College Fund has created a grant program to highlight its “Think Indian” campaign, and scholarships program for Native students. The grants are intended to encourage institutions who serve Native students to promote the positive message of “Think Indian,” the vibrancy of Native students, and the highlight the support provided by Native scholarship programs to their campus and community. Projects must engage or include Native students.

Student groups and institutions can use grant funds for any activity or project that will promote the “Think Indian” campaign and scholarships in their community. Programs can include, but are not limited to:

  • Informational, social or artistic events
  • Art displays, installations or murals
  • Music performances or video screenings
  • Local awareness, publicity or marketing campaigns
  • Online/social media campaigns
  • Participation in existing campus or community events
  • Themed volunteer or service events (including Native vote or census projects)

CLICK HERE to view summaries of the 2019 awarded projects.

 

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She Didn’t Lead Loudly, But She Led

By Alisha DeCoteau, Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College Human Resource Director
2025-2026 Indigenous Visionaries: Women’s Leadership Program

When people talk about leadership, they often imagine someone at the front of the room who is speaking, directing, and making decisions. But the first leader I ever knew didn’t stand at the front. She stood in her kitchen, gardened and canned, showed up, and cared.

Theresa Helen Martell-Patnaude Headshot

Theresa Helen Martell-Patnaude

My grandmother was the soul of our family. She wasn’t called a leader, but everything about her demonstrated leadership. It was the way she showed up every single time. It was in the way she always went the extra mile. She was always there when someone needed her. She carried people without ever making it look heavy.

She made frybread for funerals, so grieving families didn’t have to worry about paying or cooking for others. She would cook meals during lunch hour, so her grown children could come home and eat during their work breaks. She made sure no one felt alone.

Her leadership looked like care. It looked like the smell of lilacs blooming outside of her home and the fresh-cut bouquets she arranged inside on the table. It looked like the jars of canned goods lining the shelves after a long day of canning. It sounded like the quiet rhythm of work that was done out of love. It felt safe. Being with her felt like home.

As I reflect on what it means to be an emerging Indigenous woman leader, I realize leadership doesn’t always come in the form of titles or positions. Sometimes leadership can look like creating stability, feeding people, holding families together, listening, and even providing guidance. Sometimes leadership looks like making sure others don’t have to carry everything alone. My grandma taught me that leadership is service. It is being present and showing up before anyone asks.

Theresa Helen Martell-Patnaude with her famous frybread.

Theresa Helen Martell-Patnaude with her famous frybread.

Today, as Indigenous women step into leadership roles in institutions, organizations, and communities, we often carry forward a similar quiet strength. The work we do as Indigenous women may look different, but the foundation it comes from is the same. We lead by providing, supporting, protecting, and sustaining, just like the women before us. What I am learning about becoming an Indigenous woman leader isn’t about becoming someone new; it’s about honoring the leadership that already exists within us. We learned leadership lessons from the women who made sure we were safe and led in our lives in kitchens, in gardens, from the smell of canning, and from the hands that fed us.

I want to say to young Indigenous women that leadership doesn’t have to look like power and authority. It can look like care, support, commitment, and showing up. It can look like it is making space for others, so they don’t have to struggle alone. The leadership we carry forward often begins at home and within ourselves.

My leadership journey began with lilacs, warm kitchens, and the quiet strength of a grandmother who never asked for recognition but shaped the lives of others around her. That is the kind of leadership I strive to honor as I grow as an Indigenous woman leader.

Congratulations to All Native Graduates!

Congratulations! Whether you are a new high school graduate or you have earned a college degree or certificate and are preparing to walk across the stage to receive your diploma, we at the American Indian College Fund applaud you.

Native people are resilient, and you are no different. Like our ancestors who came before us, you have shown tenacity, discipline, and have been persistent to get to where you are today. You have navigated finances, the new territory of academia, and juggling family obligations, jobs, internships, and school activities to make it to graduation. It takes a community to achieve success, and today we also celebrate the love of your family, friends, and community that helped you succeed.

If you are a college graduate, we wish you all the best on this first leg of an exciting journey as you launch your new career or continue to graduate school. We hope you will keep in touch and let us know where you are, how you are using your new skills and knowledge, and how you are serving your community or plan to do so.

If you are a high school graduate and haven’t yet chosen a college or applied for a scholarship, we urge you to do so. You can check out the 34 tribal colleges and universities on our website to learn more about their locations and offerings. College graduates who are considering graduate school can also apply for a scholarship. The deadline for priority consideration for American Indian College Fund scholarships is May 31, so please be sure to grab your keyboard and apply today online!

Wherever your journey takes you, we at the College Fund wish you every success and are here to support you on your way!

 

Elevating Native Voices During America 250 and Beyond

By Gerilynn Yazzie (Navajo Nation), United Tribes Technical College

For me, including Native peoples in America’s 250th anniversary is not about celebrating the past — it’s about telling the truth, honoring our ancestors, and ensuring our children grow up knowing that their history is essential to the story of this country.

Impactful ways to include and elevate Native voices:

  1. Centering Indigenous perspectives in the national story
    Highlight the contributions, resilience, and leadership of Native nations — not just in the past, but today. Our stories should be told by Native people, in our own words.
  2. Honoring the land and the original caretakers
    Every celebration, every event, and every educational resource should acknowledge the Indigenous nations whose homelands make up the United States. This is not symbolic — it’s a reminder of our ongoing presence and sovereignty.
  3. Teaching accurate Native history in schools
    As a future elementary educator, this is especially important to me. Children deserve to learn the truth: the beauty of our cultures, the impact of colonization, and the strength of Native communities today. This is a chance to correct the gaps and stereotypes that still exist in classrooms.
  4. Including Native leaders, artists, educators, and youth in planning and events
    Native people should be part of the decision making, not just invited to perform or observe. Our communities have wisdom, creativity, and insight that can help shape a more inclusive vision of America.
  5. Recognizing Native sovereignty and the government-to-government relationships
    We need to acknowledge that Native nations are not just cultural groups — we are sovereign governments with our own laws, traditions, and responsibilities.

Reclaiming democracy as Native people begins with strengthening our sovereignty and honoring the systems of governance our ancestors practiced long before the United States was founded. For the Navajo Nation, this means returning to values like K’é, consensus, and community responsibility. These principles shaped our traditional leadership and decision making. It means ensuring Native voices are included in conversations about policy, education, and land stewardship. When we protect our languages, teach accurate history, and support Native youth in becoming leaders, we reinforce a form of democracy that is rooted in identity, culture, and long-term thinking.

As Americans, reclaiming democracy requires creating a society where every community is heard and respected, including the first peoples of this land. This involves telling the truth about our shared history, building stronger relationships between Native and non-Native communities, and encouraging civic participation that reflects our cultural values.

By showing up in local and national decision-making spaces, advocating for our rights, and teaching future generations the importance of their voice, we help shape a more inclusive and honest democracy. Reclaiming democracy is ultimately about healing, representation, and ensuring that the future reflects all of us.

Attending United Tribes Technical College (UTTC) has strengthened my commitment to reclaiming democracy through education, cultural pride, and community leadership. Being surrounded by other Native students who share similar goals reminds me that our voices matter and that we are shaping a future where our histories and values are respected.

As I continue my journey in elementary education, I hope to empower the next generation to understand their identity, their rights, and their role in building a more inclusive and truthful democracy.

Read More from Gerilynn