2023-2024
FULFILLING OUR MISSION: HOW YOUR DONATIONS ARE USED
Our Accountability to You 73% Scholarships, Programs, and Public Education 23% Fundraising 4% General Administration
The American Indian College Fund is committed to excellence. Our charity watchdog ratings reflect our commitment to integrity and transparency while serving our students and the tribal colleges and universities. Our allies can support us with the highest confidence.
• Four-star Charity Navigator, the highest possible rating.
• “The Best in America Seal of Excellence” from Independent Charities of America, a designation given to fewer than 2,000 of one million charities in America.
• Member of The Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance (one of America’s Top 100 Charities).
• Guidestar’s Gold Seal of Transparency.
The Story Behind Our Logo
Tribal colleges and universities were established by Tribal Nations to provide a solid foundation in education for Native people and to reverse the impacts of centuries of discrimination and forced cultural assimilation.
To represent the American Indian College Fund’s mission to provide tribal college students with access to a tribal college higher education, it created a logo incorporating both a flame and a feather.
The flame represents how education illuminates both individuals and communities through intellectual and economic growth. The feather nestled within the flame represents how tribal colleges work to revitalize Native language and culture by integrating them into their curricula, while immersing students in their Native languages, cultures, and traditions.
MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
As we returned to the classroom this fall, I remembered my excitement about beginning a new school year as a young student. My mom would take my younger brother and I shopping in a nearby town where there were two stores that sold clothing so we could start the new year dressed up. My dad or older brother would drive us. But my education experience was not the norm for generations of Native people that came before me.
As reported in the U.S. Department of Interior’s second volume of the Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative Final Report released this July, more than 60,000 American Indian children were forcibly taken from their families to “attend” the 451 federal boarding school sites located across 37 states or territories between 1819 and 1969. Their parents, too, dressed them in their finest clothing for school. But when they arrived, it was taken from them, and they were assigned new clothing and new identities.
Pause for a moment and think about the scale of the boarding school plan and how it worked. The goal was the rupture and eventual eradication of our communities and cultures. Children were severely punished for speaking their languages, practicing their spiritual practices, or demonstrating their values of kinship as Native people.
Boarding schools touched nearly every living Native American in some way, with Native people attending as late as the mid-1960s. At least 973 known American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian children died while attending one. The numbers could be far greater.
We cannot easily set aside the abuse that was perpetuated on our relatives who attended boarding schools. These were our family members. These were children. Boarding schools caused significant struggles with physical and mental health that continue today in our communities.
This is why tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) are so central, successful, and important in our communities. An education rooted in Native cultures and languages immerses Native people from elders to the youngest children in their values and supports them as they heal and learn. TCUs provide services such as early childhood education, libraries, food services, health services, and more.
Our mission at the American Indian College Fund is to provide Native people with access to a higher education and to support the TCUs in their important work. TCUs seek to rekindle the knowledge lost in the boarding school era. The data tells the story — in a 2019 Gallup Survey of TCU alumni, we learned 74% of TCU graduates have gone on to serve their communities—a deep-rooted Native value. In addition, TCU alumni report greater wellness outcomes and a greater sense of being supported by faculty and staff, leading to academic success. The result of positive, supportive learning environments rooted in Native culture? Healthier students who graduate to serve their communities and provide for their families’ well-being.
The Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative Final Report marks a significant opportunity to illuminate the truth of Native histories in America and to advance national reconciliation and healing. We believe education is the answer to healing the wounds of the past. With your support, we can create healthier, more sustainable Native communities — one student at a time — through the power of a tribal college education.
We are thankful that you have walked and continue to walk this path with us.
President and CEO, American Indian College Fund
Scan the QR code to go to Cheryl Crazy Bull’s bio.
HOW WE HELP NATIVE SCHOLARS
Total Amount of Direct Student Support $197,478,000
Total Amount of Other Student Support
$11,602,000
Total Amount of Scholarship Support $185,716,000
Total Number of Scholarships Awarded 166,300
Total Number of Scholars Served
141,210
*Since 1989 figures based on best available historical data.
Total Amount of Scholarship Support $19,751,000
Total Number of Scholarships Awarded 6,648
Total Number of Scholars Served 4,959
Total Graduate Scholars
230
Total First-Year Scholars
1,782
Where Our Students Study
Tribal Colleges and Universities
In 2023-24, scholars attended tribal colleges and universities on 33 main campuses and 45 satellite and branch campuses and instructional sites.
1 Ilisaġvik College, Utqiaġvik* Arizona
2 Diné College, Tsaile*
2a Aneth, UT
2b Crownpoint, NM 2c Newcomb, NM
3 Tohono O’odham Community College, Sells 3a Milepost 115.5, Sells
4 Haskell Indian Nations University, Lawrence*
5 Bay Mills Community College, Brimley*
Petoskey 6 Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community College, L'Anse 7 Saginaw Chippewa Tribal College, Mount Pleasant
8 Red Lake Nation College, Red Lake
Red Lake Nation College, Minneapolis
9 White Earth Tribal and Community College, Mahnomen
10 Aaniiih Nakoda College, Harlem*
Blackfeet Community College, Browning*
12 Chief Dull Knife College, Lame Deer
13 Fort Peck Community College, Poplar 13a Wolf Point 14 Little Big Horn College, Crow Agency 15 Salish Kootenai College, Pablo**
Stone Child College, Box Elder*
17 Little Priest Tribal College, Winnebago 18 Nebraska Indian Community College, Macy
22 Cankdeska Cikana Community College, Ft. Totten 23 Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College, New Town* Alaska
Kirtland, NM
Teec Nos Pos, AZ
Zuni, AZ
Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute, Albuquerque
Manderson 18a Pawnee, OK
Sitting Bull College, Ft. Yates**
McLaughlin, SD
Mobridge, SD
Turtle Mountain College, Belcourt*
Belcourt
26 United Tribes Technical College, Bismarck* Oklahoma
College of the Muscogee Nation, Okmulgee
Oglala Lakota College, Kyle**
Martin
Oglala
Pine Ridge
Piya Wiconi
Porcupine
Rapid City
Wanblee
Sinte Gleska University, Antelope**
Lower Brule
Sisseton Wahpeton College, Sisseton
TCU satellite campuses or instructional sites TCUs
scholars attended TCUs and mainstream colleges in these states.
31c La Conner
Lapwai, ID
Olympia
Tulalip Wisconsin
32 College of Menominee Nation, Keshena*
32a Green Bay
33 Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe University, Hayward** 33a Bayfield
33b Lac du Flambeau
33c Odanah
Our
Traditional Colleges and Universities
In 2023-24, scholarship recipients attended 304 different mainstream colleges in 44 states.
Alabama
Auburn University
University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
University of South Alabama
Alaska
Alaska Pacific University
University of Alaska - Fairbanks
Arizona
Arizona State University
Eastern Arizona College
Gateway Community College (Arizona)
Grand Canyon University
Mesa Community College
Northern Arizona University
Ottawa University - Phoenix
The University of Arizona Global Campus
University of Arizona
Yavapai College
Arkansas
Harding University
University of Arkansas - Fayetteville
California
Bakersfield College
Butte College
Cabrillo College
California Institute of the Arts
California Lutheran University
Cal Poly State University - San Luis Obispo
Cal Poly Humboldt
Stanford University
University of California (Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, Riverside, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz)
University of San Francisco
University of Southern California
West Hills College-Lemoore
William Jessup University
Yuba College
Colorado
Colorado Christian University
Colorado College
Colorado Mesa University
Colorado State University - Ft. Collins
Fort Lewis College
Regis University
University of Colorado (Boulder, Colorado
Springs, Denver, Anschutz Medical Campus)
University of Denver
Western Colorado University
Connecticut
Yale University
Georgia
Clark Atlanta University
Columbus State University (Georgia)
Mercer University
University of Georgia
University of West Georgia
Hawaii
University of Hawaii (Hilo, Manoa, West Oahu)
Idaho
Boise State University
Brigham Young University - Idaho
Lewis-Clark State College
Northwest Nazarene University
University of Idaho
Illinois
Northwestern University - IL
Parkland College
School of the Art Institute of Chicago
University of Illinois - Chicago
Indiana
Purdue University
Trine University
University of Notre Dame
Iowa
Cornell College
St Luke's College
Kansas
Baker University, KS
Fort Hays State University
Kansas State University
Pittsburg State University
University of Kansas
University of Kansas Medical Center
Wichita State University
Kentucky
California State University (Bakersfield, Chico, East Bay, Fresno, Fullerton, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Northridge, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Marcos)
Chabot College
Chapman University
College of the Desert College of the Redwoods College of the Siskiyous Columbia College (California)
Cosumnes River College
Dominican University of California
Fielding Graduate University
Golden West College
Grossmont College
Mendocino College
Menlo College
Northcentral University
Orange Coast College
Otis College of Art and Design
Palomar Community College
Pepperdine University
Point Loma Nazarene University
Sacramento City College
Sacramento State University
San Diego Mesa College
San Diego State University
Santa Rosa Junior College
Shasta College
Sierra College
Simpson University
Sonoma State University
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Minnesota
Augsburg University
Bemidji State University
Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science
Metropolitan State University
Minnesota State University (Mankato, Moorhead)
Mitchell Hamline School of Law
Northland Community and Technical CollegeEast Grand Forks
St. Cloud State University
University of Minnesota (Duluth, Morris, Twin Cities)
University of Minnesota Medical School - Twin
Cities Campus
Missouri
Drury University
Washington University in St. Louis
Mississippi
Meridian Community College
Montana
Dawson Community College
Great Falls College
Montana State University (Billings, Bozeman, Northern)
Montana Tech of the University of Montana
Rocky Mountain College
University of Montana (Missoula, Western)
University of Providence
Nebraska
Bellevue University (Nebraska)
Concordia University - Seward
University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Wayne State College
York University
Nevada
College of Southern Nevada-Henderson
University of Nevada (Las Vegas, Reno) Western Nevada College
New Hampshire
Dartmouth College
Plymouth State University
Southern New Hampshire University
New Jersey
Princeton University
New Mexico
Central New Mexico Community College
New Mexico Highlands University
New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
New Mexico State University - Las Cruces
Northern New Mexico College
San Juan College
University of New Mexico-Albuquerque
University of New Mexico-School of Med
New York
Colgate University
Centre College
Louisiana
Centenary College of Louisiana
Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-
New Orleans
Loyola University-New Orleans
Nicholls State University
Southeastern Louisiana University
University of Louisiana - Lafayette
Maine
Bowdoin College
Massachusetts
Harvard Law School
Harvard University
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Tufts University
Wellesley College
Michigan
Central Michigan University
Cornerstone University
Eastern Michigan University
Ferris State University
Lake Superior State University
Michigan State University
Michigan Technological University
Mid Michigan College
Northern Michigan University
Saginaw Valley State University
Spring Arbor University
Eastern Oklahoma State College
Langston University
Murray State College
Northeastern State University (Oklahoma)
Northwestern Oklahoma State University
Oklahoma Christian University
Oklahoma City University
Oklahoma State University (Okmulgee, Stillwater,
Center for Health Sciences, Institute of Technology)
Oklahoma Technical College
Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Rogers State University
Tulsa Community College
University of Central Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma (Health Sciences Center)
University of Tulsa
Oregon
Blue Mountain Community College
Oregon Health and Science University
Oregon State University
Pacific University
Portland State University
Southern Oregon University
University of Oregon
Pennsylvania
Drexel University
Gallaudet University
Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine
Pennsylvania State University
Rhode Island
Brown University
South Dakota
Black Hills State University
Dakota State University
Lake Area Technical College
Mitchell Technical College
Mount Marty University
South Dakota School of Mines & Technology
South Dakota State University
University of South Dakota
Tennessee
University of Tennessee-Knoxville
Vanderbilt University
Texas
Texas A&M University - College Station
Texas Christian University
Texas Tech University
University of Houston
University of North Texas
University of North Texas Health Science Center
University of Texas (Arlington, Austin, Permian Basin)
Utah
Brigham Young University (Provo)
Salt Lake Community College
Southern Utah University
University of Utah
Western Governors University
Virginia
Columbia University
Cornell University
New York University
Syracuse University
Teachers College, Columbia University
The City College of New York
North Carolina
University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill, Charlotte, Wilmington)
North Carolina State University
North Dakota
Bismarck State College
Dakota College at Bottineau
Dickinson State University
Mayville State University
Minot State University
North Dakota State College of Science
North Dakota State University
University of Jamestown
University of Mary
University of North Dakota
Ohio
Baldwin Wallace University
Cleveland Institute of Art
Franklin University
The Ohio State University
Oklahoma
Cameron University
East Central University
Hollins University
James Madison University
Liberty University
Regent University
Southern Virginia University
Washington
Bellevue College (Washington)
Central Washington University
Eastern Washington University
Evergreen State College
Gonzaga University
Green River College
St. Martin's University
University of Puget Sound
University of Washington (Seattle, Tacoma)
Utah State University
Washington State University - Pullman
Whitman College
Willamette University
Wisconsin
Lawrence University
Northland College
Saint Norbert College
University of Wisconsin (Eau Claire, Green Bay, Madison, Milwaukee, Oshkosh, Stevens Point, Stout, Superior)
Wyoming
University of Wyoming
THE WISDOM OF OUR STUDENTS
American Indian College Fund student ambassadors are driven leaders on campus, in their communities and in their families. More than that, they work to uplift Native voices and perspectives while modeling their Indigenous values.
The following student ambassadors shared their perspectives about their academic journeys, the importance of financial support for their education, and their hopes for the future. Their words offer a glimpse into the passion of Native students, the traditional values that guide them, and how they are working to make tribal communities and the world a better place.
Annalise (Cherokee Nation) is proof that first-generation tribal college graduates go on to do great things. A graduate of Haskell Indian Nations University, she is a doctoral student at the University of Kansas earning a degree in ecology and environmental biology with a focus on researching how humans influence the thin layer of soil that allows life on Earth to exist.
In her research she also uses her powers of analysis to observe the differences between western scientific practice and Indigenous ways of knowing with biological systems, and interrogates whether creativity and science can co-exist. She is also a strong advocate, encouraging other Native students to pursue academic careers, and for combining land stewardship with science to protect the environment for tribal communities.
Indigenous communities are vulnerable to the effects of climate change, and she says land use change “and everything that comes along with that. I hope I can lead the way in making our communities able to adapt to or mitigate those types of consequences.”
Annalise hopes to inspire others to achieve their dreams. “I want to give a kind word or gesture that changes the trajectory for other Indigenous scholars and show them they are worthy of being in an academic setting… [and] I really hope to leverage my degree in a way that I'll be a leader within my community, specifically as it relates to climate sciences.”
Cherish (Lower Brule Sioux Tribe of the Lower Brule Reservation ) was born and raised on the Flathead Indian Reservation in Montana, where she completed her bachelor’s degree at Salish Kootenai College, the tribal college there. As an undergraduate, she won awards for writing business plans that integrated sustainability, economic development, and healing for Indigenous people. Now studying for a master’s degree in business administration and American Indian entrepreneurship from Gonzaga University, she wants to advance economic development to increase employment opportunities and create greater economic sustainability of all Indigenous communities, including her own.
Despite the hardships she faced as a child, Cherish draws her strength from a family legacy of strong women and her Indigenous values of kinship to drive her work.
“I am letting my community know what resources are out there and helping them develop them. I am also looking at a different higher global scale of economic development using Indian e-commerce in Indian Country. I am learning from some of the best economists there are.”
Cherish has attended Indigenous economic development seminars at the Hoover Research Center, a public policy research center at Stanford University dedicated to the study of politics, economics, and international affairs, where top leaders meet to discuss issues impacting Indian Country as a whole.
“With my degree, I will be able to be a part of that and be a leader in developing a better future for our generations,” Cherish says.
Deanna (Navajo Nation) is studying environmental science at Haskell Indian Nation University. Studying the impacts of climate and the environment might be depressing for some, but Deanna says what gives her hope for the future is her peers, their kindness, genuineness, and their drive to help their communities.
“We need these strong-hearted people to come up into the world and take their place…they keep me grounded, they keep me motivated,” she said.
Krista (Navajo Nation) is studying information technology at Navajo Technical University on the Navajo Nation. She wants to use technology to preserve the Navajo language, which many people know for its role in helping the United States win World War II thanks to the efforts of Navajo Code Talkers who used the language to pass strategic signals among troops.
Language preservation is not only a strategic asset, but more importantly, it is linked to good mental health as a building-block for a strong sense of rootedness and identity.
Krista would like to use her technology skills to develop a language app or website to help Navajo children study their language, beginning with the Navajo alphabet and simple phrases.
THE WISDOM OF OUR FACULTY
The Indigenous Visionaries: Women’s Leadership Program
The College Fund’s Indigenous Visionaries Leadership Program gives Native women the tools to use in their roles as mentors and leaders and networking opportunities to elevate and increase their visibility for continued success.
Deborah Jackson Taffa, a member of the Quechan (Yuma) Nation and Laguna Pueblo of New Mexico from her father’s side and Chicana from her mother’s side, is an Indigenous Visionary and is director of the MFA in Creative Writing program at the Institute of American Indian Arts. Her coming-of-age memoir Whiskey Tender (Harper Collins) is a 2024 National Book Award and 2025 Carnegie medal nominee.
“From the start, the Indigenous Visionaries program was a powerful experience that helped me network and bond with incredibly accomplished women. The opportunity came at a pivotal moment in my life. I was about to launch my first book and felt frightened by my new role in the limelight. The solidarity I gained via the women in the cohort, as well as the inspirational talks I received via the program, dampened my fear and reminded me of my small role in a larger community. I was inspired by all the Native women working hard to make a difference in their communities. The wonderful administrators of the program offered me support and certainty in a time when I sorely needed it,” she says.
Her memoir shares her journey from the Yuma reservation in Southern California to New Mexico after her father relocated for a job under the Indian Relocation Act.
She details her struggles for acceptance; seeking to understand her connection to her Native culture, lands, and traditions; and how she came to appreciate her identity and resist assimilation and oppression.
As a storyteller, Taffa notes this is a time where Indigenous people are telling their own stories: from television series to movies to literature to the visual arts. Storytelling is central to Native identity while also important to creating greater Native visibility through telling the truth about Native histories and passing on Indigenous wisdom. Yet after colonization, Native people did not always have that freedom.
Some of the first published stories about Natives were “captivity narratives,” told from white perspectives and presented as fact. The genre evolved into westerns. Natives rarely narrated their own stories. After the invention of television, Native people rarely played Native parts or spoke. “If they had been allowed to speak, they would have countered the idea of American exceptionalism and this idea of infinite growth… [and] protested what America was doing when stripping natural resources,” she says.
Silencing Native voices made it appear Native people had no philosophies, flattening Native diversity for political purposes. “I think it was a challenging thing for the publishing industry and for many average American citizens to grapple with: Indians were not a monolithic culture and people.”
"Our stories are American stories that people need to learn about if we are going to heal ourselves as a nation. We cannot hide from our American histories because they are wounding and damaging."
- Deborah Taffa
“Part of reclaiming our sovereignty as Native people is reclaiming the power to tell our own stories from a perspective that is a truer version of American history than the one that gets told,” she says.
In the 1960s, when N. Scott Momaday (Kiowa) won the Pulitzer Prize, “we start[ed] to see complex identities mapped that were at once tribally specific and American… [but] then…diversity and publishing just disappeared. There were many boomer generation authors, but the number of Generation X authors being published from Indian country was small.” Today “we are barely scratching the surface of our increasingly intersectional identities…there is a lot at stake...Indigenous values are speaking to things like democratic ideals, the preservation of natural resources, climate change…the rise of strong men. Native voices are necessary to these times.”
Taffa says readers gain a great deal through exposure to different generations of storytelling. “I came of age in the 70s and 80s, in an era of American Indian experiences that were not mapped in our literature much…We have a lot of older voices, N. Scott Momaday, Leslie Marmon Silko, Paula Gunn Allen, Louise Erdrich, and now we have younger voices emerging. But those of us in our fifties remember a quiet period when there was not enough Native literature. We had our juggernaut from the Pacific Northwest. We had Sherwin Bitsui. But for a long time, the big publishers said the renaissance was dead. Now we have Brandon Hobson, Oscar Hokeah, and Ramona Emerson. There are older writers filling a gap, and I hope to see more Native stories set in the 1980s being told...”
Unlike the new generation of writers, Taffa’s generation had access to Old World grandparents. “My great grandma was born in the late 1800s. We have living memories of people
Whiskey Tender is a 2024 National Book Award Finalist and a 2025 Carnegie medal nominee.
who belonged to a different America. It was a time before cell phones and the internet. Many of us grew up straddling the rural and the urban, whereas many of my students, born in the late nineties in the early 2000s, write about city life. It is all good, just different. My generation was on a threshold between a simpler reservation life and the more contemporary world.”
Taffa says all Native stories need to be told. “[W]e cannot have that old-fashioned belief many Native people had when I was a child which was, ‘they have taken everything from us and now they are trying to take our stories.’ I believe it's time for Native people to worry less about appropriation and more about finding a way to be influential in society.”
Storytelling requires reckoning with history and can be uncomfortable. “Our stories are American stories that people need to learn if we are going to heal ourselves as a nation. We cannot hide from our American histories because they are wounding and damaging. Education is inherently wounding. It is our job to educate not only our own children and our grandchildren, but the nation. People need to share in our values.”
Taffa says her memoir was born of the need to tell her Native-Hawaiian grandchildren what it meant to be both an Indigenous woman and an American citizen in 2024. She worried they might come of age and struggle with the “schizophrenic fears about belonging that I did.”
“[I]f I was going to help my grandchildren, I had to get it down on the page, not in a stained–glass way, but in a way that was… completely transparent, and make my peace with the fact that everyone else was overhearing our conversation,” she said. “I wrote the book for my grandchildren. That was the only way I could find my voice. In this way, the book is an intimate conversation, like one held over the dinner table while other diners eavesdropped. Ultimately sharing felt ethical because the stories I wrote serve as an indictment of American greed.”
“There is power in speaking the truth…I feel really comfortable and blessed that my father, my siblings, and my tribes have been supportive.”
The Wisdom of Faculty Fellows
“What is good for the TCU [tribal college and university] is good for the community, and what is good for the community is good for the TCU.”
Those words were shared with Danny Luecke, a secondary math education developer and instructor at Turtle Mountain College, by a fluent Dakota/Lakota speaker and elder. “This motivates me; to know the work we do at the TCU is directly linked to nation building in our community,” Luecke said.
TCU graduate statistics show the accuracy of those words. The Gallup Report “Alumni of Tribal Colleges and Universities Better Their Communities” illustrates how TCU alumni had a higher rate of meaningful experiences during their college and subsequent careers than their non-TCU peers.
Not only are TCU alumni more likely to say their college experience prepared them for life after school, but the majority give back to their community, with 74% reporting they are employed in fields related to Native communities, and many are working directly for their tribe.
TCUs are unique in U.S. higher education. They focus on incorporating the culture and tribal identity of the community into curricula, pedagogy, community outreach, and Native ties to the land. TCUs not only provide higher education opportunities to Native students but are often the only option for higher education available to entire communities in their rural locations.
One way the American Indian College Fund supports access to higher education for American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) students is through direct support of TCUs to expand their capacity and role as institutions of excellence. TCU faculty members enjoy fellowships, professional development, and scholarly research opportunities.
Recognizing faculty development is essential to student success and the future growth and sustainability of TCUs, the College Fund has offered programming for their development since 2004.
Several faculty fellows shared how the program opportunities impacted their work, expanded their research opportunities, and shaped their views of the importance of teaching at TCUs.
“My research has helped elevate our School of Business department. It also helps tribes that I work with on what is truly needed to tackle barriers for small businesses,” said Jessica Burghart, a professor in the School of Business at Haskell University.
Karen Colbert, general education faculty chair and lead math and STEM faculty at Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community College, said her doctoral research connected to Indigenous higher education as a whole. “I’m able to develop and implement innovative teaching methods that integrate Indigenous perspectives, fostering a more inclusive and effective learning environment. Additionally, my research contributes to the broader community
Danny Luecke
Karen Colbert
JessicaBurghart
by addressing systemic inequities in education and promoting data literacy, which is vital for empowering scholars at TCUs.”
When it comes to the importance of scholarly research for TCU faculty, Nonah B. Sam may explain it best. “…because when we look at research within our communities, we can determine what is working for our people and that commitment we make is about building trust so that we can communicate fully where our future is headed.”
Faculty see their work as a way to give back.
“It fulfills the obligations that I made for myself to serve Native nations,” said Burghart.
Teaching at a TCU is a vocation that not only aids Native communities but also educates non-Natives.
Colbert expanded, “Teaching at a TCU allows me to serve my community in a meaningful way by contributing to the preservation and promotion of Indigenous knowledge and practices. I chose to teach at a TCU because it aligns with my passion for bridging equity gaps in STEM education and my commitment to empowering Indigenous students to succeed in fields that have historically excluded them. By fostering an environment that respects and integrates cultural perspectives, I can support the next generation of Indigenous leaders in their academic and professional journeys.”
But maybe the best response given for why one should teach for a TCU was given by Sam, who asked, “Why not?”
“I choose to teach at my tribe’s TCU so that I might be able to expose members of our tribe to our peoples’ history, but also to tell it from our perspective,” said Marcus Macktima, adjunct faculty member at San Carlos Apache College.
Vicki Besaw, an English instructor at the College of Menominee Nation, agreed. “Teaching at a TCU is important to me as a Native educator. I’m invested in my community and believe TCUs afford an important opportunity for us to address issues associated with historical and generational trauma.”
"I chose to teach at a TCU because it aligns with my passion for bridging equity gaps in STEM education and my commitment to empowering Indigenous students to succeed in fields that have historically excluded them.”
- Karen Colbert
Vicki Besaw
Nonah B. Sam
Marcus Macktima
THE WISDOM OF HIGH SCHOOL EQUIVALENCY STUDENTS
The American Indian College Fund and the Dollar General Literacy Foundation have partnered to help Native adults gain the foundational literacy skills to prepare for and obtain high school equivalency (HSE) credentials and to pursue post-secondary education and meaningful careers. The opportunity to advance their education is critical. Per the College Board’s “Education Pays 2023” report, those over the age of 25 with a bachelor’s degree have median earnings $29,000 higher than high school graduates who do not pursue higher education. The unemployment rate for those 25 and over who hold a bachelor’s degree is also half that of the rate of high school graduates. Though attending additional schooling may mean less income in the short-term, these losses are recouped after completing their education and entering the workforce.
Now in its tenth year, the Native Students Stepping Forward: Dollar General Adult Education Program partners with eight TCUs in the Midwest, Northern Great Plains, Southwest, and Pacific Northwest to provide students who did not earn a traditional high school diploma with the skills, instruction, guidance, and support they need to earn a secondary equivalent credential.
One of those students is Robert DeCoteau (Jamestown S’Klallam). Robert was already familiar with the Adult Basic Education (ABE) program at Northwest Indian College (NWIC) before he even finished high school. The head of the program, John Frey, also helped local high school students stay on track to graduate, and Robert was an occasional visitor to his classroom. Although he passed his courses with Frey’s help, Robert dropped out of high school his senior year. But he later decided he was ready to return to school when the Lummi Casino where he worked closed. Robert discovered a GED was a minimum education requirement for most job opportunities.
He returned to Frey’s class and used the GED he earned as the foundation for taking additional computer classes for training he knew he would need along with his Autobody Technology program at Bellingham Technical College. He also volunteered to tutor other students in
the GED program, unaware at the time how tutoring was a foreshadowing of his future career.
Robert had earned a bachelor’s in business and a master’s in management and leadership. He applied for a job with NWIC’s Workforce Education Department, which oversaw the ABE program. He quickly rose to the director position for the department and made it his mission to ensure the program’s success. NWIC established a partnership with Bellingham Technical College to offer a competency-based high school completion program alongside the traditional GED pathway. The new pathway became a great success, with Robert’s 50-year-old brother being one of the first graduates of the program, proving one is never too old to go back to school to achieve one’s dreams.
ABE is the longest running program at NWIC, and Robert is proud to have helped keep it alive and growing. But his dreams of the future are not what you’d expect. “Every now and again I’ll see the neighborhood kids meeting up after school on the old campus, gathering together before riding their bikes off on that day’s adventure. I’m hopeful that none of them will need our program, and that each of them will have the wherewithal to stay in school and push through to commencement. Perhaps they will come to us for a degree to go with their diploma. One of them might even have my position one day and I will have to make that bittersweet decision to close the ABE program because there is just so little need for our services in the community,” he says.
Program Duration
9+ YEARS
Students Served
HSE Students and Graduates
“I am enrolled at SCTC. After graduating from here, I plan to go to Central Michigan University for a bachelor’s in business…I want to encourage other tribal members who have shared a similar journey as mine to explore higher education.”
“My vision for my community is encouraging all age groups, no matter how young or old, that it’s never too late to go back to school and continue their education.”
Darleen Chee (Navajo)
Joe Johnson (Saginaw Chippewa)
LEADERSHIP
Chair
Leander “Russ” McDonald President, United Tribes Technical College
1st Vice Chair
Cynthia Lindquist President, Cankdeska Cikana Community College
2nd Vice Chair
Sandra Boham President, Salish Kootenai College
2023-2024 Governing Board of Trustees
Resource Development Chair
Brenda Toineeta Pipestem Of Counsel, Pipestem & Nagle Law
Board Members
Kathy Baird Chief Communications Officer, The Washington Post
Twyla Baker President, Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College
Duane Bedell President, Bay Mills Community College
Haven Gourneau President, Fort Peck Community College
Justin Guillory President, Northwest Indian College
Dawson Her Many Horses
Senior Vice President, Wells Fargo Middle Market Banking
Ashley Hubka Senior Vice President & General Manager Walmart
Dan King President, Red Lake Nation College
Holly Lunsford Vice President, Customer Finance The Coca-Cola Company
Michael Oltrogge President, Nebraska Indian Community College
Member At Large
Michael Purvis Retired
Bill Parker Retired
Monte Randall President, College of the Muscogee Nation
Charles “Monty” Roessel President, Diné College
Angela “Denine” Torr Executive Director, Dollar General Literacy Foundation, Dollar General Corporation
Meredi Vaughan CEO, Vladimir Jones
Kimberly Blanchard
Gail Bruce Ramscale Studio
Anne Sward Hansen
BEQUESTS
The following generous supporters have left lasting legacies through their estate plans. Their generosity ensures that American Indian and Alaska Native students will have the opportunity to pursue their dreams of a higher education and career. We honor their memories here.
Norman Altman
Anonymous
Frederick H. Bear
Jefferson M. Bishop
Patricia J. Black
Leslie Bornstein
Diana C. Boyle
Michael P. Brownsey
Marthur B. Bumgardner
Nancy M. Buss
Janis Carter
Patricia Cravens
Barbara Cutts
Joan Blieve Dayton
Delancey Charitable Trust
Lynn Eikenbary
Joan Eliasoph
James Kyle Elliott
Victor Gepner
Janet Gorski
Hazel Hale
Joanna C. Harris
Roger J. Holzman
Janice Horn
Jacqueline Kienzle
Doris D. Kobe
John Gerard Kovac
Claire Levine
Mary Ann Lewis Trust
Patricia E. Mautner
Marita Jo Maxey
Warren Mccullough
John F. McDiarmid
Terrance McGuirk
Evelyn Melnicki
Ivana Noell
Juanita L. Nofflet
Mary K. Nuebel
Virginia Olesen
William H. Parker
Perry C. Peine
Mary Peterson
Irene Rita Pierce
Hanna F. Pitkin
Elbert E. Proctor
Estate of Henry D. Navas & Deborah L. Robbins
Duane Rose
Ronald J. Ryan
Iris C. Staudenmaier
Irene Stone
Gerard A. Swick
Lucille Tatreau
Mary L. Taylor
Roberta A. Travis
Virginia Weinstock
John Newhall Wilson
Ronald C. Wilson
Patricia A. Yingst
Harold Austin York, Jr.
AMERICAN INDIAN COLLEGE FUND SUPPORTERS
The following generous individuals, corporations, and foundations have helped support Native higher education through their gifts to the American Indian College Fund.
$1,000,000+
Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies
Navas-Robbins Charitable Remainder Unitrust
Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians
Liesl and Jeff Wilke
$500,000 - $999,999
Ascendium Education Philanthropy
Bezos Family Foundation
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Coca-Cola Foundation
Dorothy T. Baker Revocable Trust
Mrs. Abigail Johnson
United Health Foundation
$100,000 - $499,999
Paul M. Angell Family Foundation
Anonymous (1)
Argosy Foundation
Ms. Suzanne J. Atkyns
Bank of America Charitable Foundation
Jan Weaver and James Carrel
CoBank
Comic Relief Inc.
Costco Wholesale
Dollar General Literacy Foundation
Earl and Anna Broady Foundation
Earth and Humanity Foundation
ECMC Foundation
FedEx Corporation
Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund
Heising-Simons Foundation
Indian Motorcycle
J. Bishop Revocable Living Trust
Kresge Foundation
LL Foundation for Youth
Marathon Petroleum Corporation
National Public Education Support Fund
NBC Universal Northern Trust Charitable Giving Program
Patricia Cravens 2007 Charitable Remainder Unitrust
Rowena Pecchenino
The Peierls Foundation, Inc.
Pendleton Woolen Mills
Polaris Industries
Reboot Representation
Katharine Scallan Scholarship Trust
Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community of Minnesota
Solon E. Summerfield Foundation, Inc.
The Spencer Foundation
Synchrony
Target Corporation
W. K. Kellogg Foundation
The Walt Disney Company
Robert Weissman
Entergy Corporation
Ford Motor Company
Ford Foundation
Michelle D. Fuller
Robert and Wendy Hogan
The Home Depot
Harold L. Horstmann
The Indigenous Peoples Education Fund
JCDRP Family Foundation
Aart de Geus and Esther John
The Weissman Family Foundation, Inc.
$50,000 - $99,999
ABLC Oper CFC
Rachel Albright
Anonymous (4)
The Armstrong Foundation
Association on American Indian Affairs
The Burroughs Wellcome Fund
Joseph and Teresa Canfora
Dr. Sue Carter
Clayton and Odessa Lang Ofstad Foundation
Amy Kaufman
The M.L.E. Foundation, Inc.
Macy's
The Mary Ann Lewis Trust
Carol and Vail Miller
Nicholas Nicholas Foundation Inc.
Roni Horn Foundation
Schwab Charitable Fund
Jeffery N. Springer
Thomas C. and Lois L. Sando Foundation
Toyota Motor North America
US Bank
$25,000 - $49,999
1st Tribal Lending
Adolph Coors Foundation
Anonymous (8)
Pearl L. Babcock
Bank of America Charitable Gift Fund
Kimberly S. Blanchard
Brokaw Family Foundation
Alvin I. & Peggy S. Brown Family
Charitable Foundation
Pam Buckley and Mike Reitsma
Molly Carney
Kristine B. Crandall
Elizabeth W. Custis
Barbara M. Davis
Everi Payments Inc.
Susan Friedenberg
John and Karen Gabbert
Gabelli Funds
Robert and Elizabeth Geltz
Guidewire Software Services
Lucile Hamlin
Joel and Helena Hiltner
Irene Rita Pierce Charitable Lead
Annuity Trust
Joanna C. Harris Trust
Joseph & Sophia Abeles Foundation, Inc.
Carmel and Richard Kail
Jill D. Kirshner
Kohl's
L. P. Brown Foundation
Ben and Jacqueline Linder
Meta Lilienthal Scholarship Fund, Richard Almond, Trustee
B. Robert Meyer and Terri Edersheim
MGM Resorts International
Michael E. McGoldrick Charitable Foundation
New Hampshire Charitable Foundation
Paypal Giving Fund
Edith Ann Pazmino
Reason Consulting Corporation
David and Jill Rogers
Tia Rosengarten
Jane Smith Turner Foundation
Mary Ellen Smith and Nancy Hannah
Sycuan Casino Resort
Frank and Karen Timmons
Virginia W. Hill Charitable Foundation
Walmart Foundation
Rosalie J. Coe Weir Foundation
Philip O. Wheatley
William H. Donner Foundation, Inc.
C. Nick and Yonok Zeller
$10,000 - $24,999
Mark and Allison Allyn
Amaturo Family Foundation, Inc.
AMB Foundation
Amergent
American Family Insurance
Eugenia and David Ames
Anonymous (27)
Doris Antun Revocable Trust
Astis
The Paul and Edith Babson Foundation
The Bagne Family Foundation
Nancy L. Barthelmess
Allan Bazzoli, M.D.
Janet R. Bean
Richard J. Beers
Ben Plucknett Charitable Trust
Gary and Helen Bergren
Henry and Rhoda Bernstein
Eleonor Bindman and Eli Gottesdiener
Mark and Deborah Blackman
The Boeing Company
The Boston Foundation
Ms. Debbie Brown
Susan O. Bush
Elizabeth and Fred Butler
Ann and Ronert Buxbaum, In Memory of Julie Talayumptewa
CAA Foundation
Kit Cameron and Richard Vaccaro
Rosamond J. Campbell
Canadian National Railroad Company
Carol C. Johnson Charitable Foundation
Eugene B. Casey
Ann Clark and Charles Kirkpatrick
Randolph and Aya Clark
Ms. Catherine K. Clifford
Coca-Cola Matching Gifts Program
Collar Family Foundation
Community First Foundation
Lowell T. Cook
Joan Corey
Keith Cowan and Linda Walsh
Karen and John Crotty Foundation
Jeffery and Anne Dalke
Darby Foundation
Nancy B. Davis
Ms. Emma R. Day Branch
The Defense Against Thought Control Foundation, Inc.
Jean Del Vecchio
Delancey Charitable Trust
Lindy Delf and Anthony Wolk
Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation
The Denver Foundation
Nicoletti and Bruna DePaul
Jerry and Nancy Duncan
Bernadine J. Duran
Barbara Eckstein
Sigrid Elenga and C. Stephen Smyth
Richard Ellis
Alice Ericsson
Ernst & Young Foundation
ExxonMobil Matching Gift Program
Mr. William M. Fetcher
Mr. John R. Fischer
Michael W. Fisher Foundation Inc.
Adrienne and Norman Fogle
Joe Foy, Jr.
Sandra and R. Neil Fuller
Edward & Verna Gerbic Family Foundation
AMERICAN INDIAN COLLEGE FUND SUPPORTERS
Give Lively Foundation Inc.
Susan Goldhor
Google Matching Gifts Program
Grace S. Shaw-Kennedy Foundation
Ms. Margaret G. Gralenski
Marge E. Griffith
Barrett Guthrie
Denise and Scott Hasday
Helen Roberti Charitable Trust
Ralph L. Helms, Jr.
Lynne Hennecke, Ph.D.
Ms. Barbara A. Hodel
Susan and Jim Hofman
Houston Family Foundation
John and Mabelle Hueston
Hugh and Jane Ferguson Foundation
Mr. Daniel Hui
Mr. George Hunt
Impact Assets
J. I. Foundation
Stephen and Karen Jackson
The Nathan P. Jacobs Foundation
James and Sarah Rollins Family of Trusts
Karen Jenné
Mike and Ann Johnson
Gail Kasparian
Mr. Howard R. Kehrl
David Keller and Julie Meyers
William and Sheila Konar Foundation
Fred Korn
Neil Kreitman
William Krueger and Diane Kay
Patrick Kulesa
Bruce and Katherine Larson
Ingrid Leblanc
Maurice LeBlanc, Jr.
Leibowitz and Greenway Family
Charitable Foundation
David and Dana Lewis
Fred Licciardi
Lilly Endowment, Inc.
Lubert Family Foundation Inc.
Lynn Eikenbary Revocable Trust
Stewart Macaulay
Marsha M. Welch Trust
Mary Peterson Irrevocable Trust
Brian and Anne Mazar
Teresa McCann and Eric Jensen
Fara and John McMullen
McVay Foundation
Dr. Richard Lee Meehan, D.D.S.
Gina Mello
The Middle Passage Foundation
Bette Midler and Martin von Haselberg
Sonia and D. James Miller
Susan and Mark Minerich
Jean Mitoko Toyama & Dennis Toyama
John M. Montgomery
Nancy G. Moore
Barbara and Michael Morey
Morgan Stanley Foundation
Morgan Stanley Gift Fund
Barbara and Howard Morland
Anthony and Susan Morris
Christella and Matthew Moryl
Gopi and Latha Nair
William and Barbara Naughton
NNN Properties LLC and Jacqueline
Bernius
John and Mary Onufrak
Open Horizon
Sandra K. Orange
Harry Ostrer and Elizabeth Marks
Bill and Anne Parker
Patagonia.com
Patricia J. Black Living Trust
Warren and Ellavina Perkins
Ms. Gretchen Pfuetze
Mr. Randall T. Potthoff
Katharine Preston and John Bingham
Mr. Derek J. Propalis
Michael and Linda Purvis
Eliot Quataert
Ralph Lauren Corporation
Ray C. McKinley Family Foundation
C. Joy and William Reich
Renaissance Charitable Foundation, Inc.
Richard Rice and Joanne Charbonneau
Diane Richards
Maria and Arthur Richmond
Laurie A. Riebeling
Mike Ringer
Roberts Family Foundation
Paul D. Ross, Jr.
Rundgren Foundation
Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation
Linda A. Scott
Ernest Seevers and Mary Perkins
Mary Shamrock
Ruth O. Sherer
Carolyn V. S. Shine
Dr. Anne Sigleo
Siragusa Family Foundation
John and Patricia Smart
John and Catherine Smith
Penelope Smith
Virginia Theo-Steelman and David Steelman
Sally A. Stein
Ms. Vanessa Stephens
John Stout and Lynne Eastman-Stout
Richard Strachan
Synergy Direct Marketing Solutions
Jolyn C. Taylor
Martha G. Taylor
Carolyn Thomson
The Tierney Family Foundation Inc.
Ms. Ama J. Torrance
Richard and Elizabeth Treitel
Tucker Charity Fund
Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program
Veradata
K. Walden
Delores Barr Weaver
Donald A. Weber
Glenn H. Weder
Peter Welles
In Memory of Anthony A. Welmas
Bryan and Christine White
Robert and Carol White
Deborah and Stephen Whitman
Priscilla B. Wieden
Jonathan H. Woodcock
Phillip A. Wright in honor of Helen Wright and Marlene LaClair
$5,000 - $9,999
Liza Achilles
Seena Alenick-Clark
Nicole Alger
Simin N. Allison
Robert and Susan Ambler
Marjane E. Ambler
Ms. Janel Anderberg Callon
The Anderson Fund Foundation
Carol and John Andrews
Anonymous (25)
Apple Matching Gifts Program
Thomas and Carol Asprey
Carolyn and Albert Bacdayan
Richard J. Barber
Steven C. Barnes
Sarah and David Barnes
Nadine P. Bartsch
Helen and Dianne M. Batzkall
George and Linda Bauer
The Beane Family Foundation
Jason W. Bear
Mrs. June E. Beaver
William H. Becker
Michelle and Richard Bellows
Paul Belo
Dr. Rosemary R. Berardi
Emily P. Berg
Ms. Mary K. Bergman
Sharon L. Bergmann
Louis Binetti Family
Joan Blake
Barbara M. Blount
Mr. Tom Boasberg
David and Barbara Boerner
Lorraine M. Bosche
Marilyn W. Bottjer
Patricia and Robert Bowden
William J. Brand
Mary Braunagel-Brown and Sterling Brown
Ms. Winifred Breines
J. Nile Brennecke and Monique P. Kunkel
Mr. Rundell Brown
Patricia and Edward Bryant
Bruna P. Brylawski
Nola and Neil Burkhard Burns
Stephen and Joanne Burns
Sterling Callier
Catherine Caneau
Terry G. Capps
Ann and Richard Carr
Jane Carstairs
Caruthers Family Foundation
CD&R Foundation
Benjamin and Pat Chapman
The Charles Delmar Foundation
Mr. Wayne Christenson
Marilyn J. Clark
AMERICAN INDIAN COLLEGE FUND SUPPORTERS
Catherine Clemens and Daniel Speth
Ms. Laura L. Cleveland
Mr. George J. Collias
Devon D. Coon
Cora Taylor Younger Smith Memorial Fund
Jane and James Corkery
Erika Cornehl Lewis
Dr. Melissa Crider Andrea
Roberta and Philip Cronin
Jeffrey and Kristine Currier
Daedalus Foundation, Inc.
Robert M. Davis
Lyn T. Day
Dr. Johann Deisenhofer
The DeVlieg Foundation
Chrisitan Donohue
Carolyn and Donald Dougall
Jack T. Doyle
Wayne F. Dunn
Jean and Richard Ellestad
Mrs. Leonore Epstein Marsullo
Jeanne M. Fakler
Carl and Julie Falk
The Farley Charitable Lead Annuity Trust of 2010
Carolyn A. Faulkner
Charles and Florence Feinman
Michael Feiss and Catherine Cole
Ronak P. Fields
Kathleen and Gerald Finken
Mr. Norman Scott Fitzgerald
Helen G. Hauben Foundation
Ms. Betty F. Foster
Carol and Marlan Freeburg
George and Barbara Freeman
E. Marianne Gabel and Donald Lateiner
Stephen Garrett
Katharine Garstka
Janice S. Gasparrini
Gerald B. Shreiber Foundation
Ms. Nancy Glahn
Jeanne Glassmeyer
Sheila, Dave and Sherry Gold Foundation
Beverly H. Goodman M.D.
Mr. Kalathur Govindarajan
Carl and Yong Graves
Henrietta J. Greatrex
Valerie J. Van Griethuysen
Karen and Surendra Gupta
David Hage and Therese Sexe
Orville and Susan Hall
Gary Hamilton
John and Pam Hanold
Bruce and Jane Harper
Jim and Kathy Haymaker
Judith Hegg
Theodore and Carol Hegg
Mr. Charles Herrin
Margaret A. Hershberger
Ian Hinchcliffe and Marjorie Shapiro
Donna L. Hirst
Steven Hoekman and Nancy Bauer
Lawrence Hoellwarth and Ann ShihHoellwarth
David H. Hofstad
T. Rose Holdcraft and Emory Sayre De Castro
Susan E. Holmes
Susan Hopkins
Wendy and John Hoskins
Mark L. Houghton
Ms. Madeleine C. Houston
Mr. Dana Doug Howard
Ms. Jean Marie Howard
Ashley Hubka and John Wolfe
Samuel D. Huntington
Sadik Huseny
Illinois Tool Works Foundation
Mr. William A. Ivey
James Giglio Foundation
Dr. Barbara Janoff Silverstein
Jewish Federation of Northeastern New York
Keith and Nancy Johnson
Jean Brown Johnson
Francesca G. Jordan
Judy Jordan
Edward and Irene Kaplan
Kauffman and Associates, Inc. (KAI)
Harpreet Kaur
Katherine and Gordon Keane
Barbara G. Kelly
Dr. Regina Kenen
Reiley and Deborah Kidd
Bill and Ildiko Knott
Koppenheffer Revocable Trust
Ms. Muriel H. Krakar
Kulp Family Charitable Foundation
David A. Kumpe and Rosemarie Wipfelder Kumpe
Catherine L. Latham
Shirley E. Leary
Ms. Doris Darnell Lee
Steven and Carol Lefelt
Ira Leibowitz
George H. Leon, Jr.
The Levy Foundation
Kerry and Paul Little
Lucia and Ben Logan
Shannon Lorenzo-Rivero
Elizabeth Lotterhos and Vicki K. Karnes
Holly and James Lunsford
Lynn Stern and Jeremy Lang Family Foundation, Inc.
Mabel Y. Hughes Charitable Trust
Ms. Jeanne K. Macvicar
Vijay and Arlene Macwan
Betty and Ellis Malone
Ann and John Malooly
Mr. Ian Manchester
Howard Marks
David Marshak
Daniel J. Martineau Family
Wilbert L. Mathews
Stephen and Carolyn McCandless
Sean E. McCauley
Sheila McCormick and Paul Herzmark
Robert R. McCrae
Phil and Joan McDonald
Jack McGowan
Charlie McIntosh
Ms. Roxanne McKool
Ms. Doyleen McMurtry
JB McNeil
Jill and William Merke
Carmel S. Merrill, CSW
Dr. Gretchen Metzenberg
Microsoft Giving Campaign
Charleen B. Moore
Bob and Deborah Moskovitz
MSB Charitable Fund
In honor of Dr. Frank Myers of White Rocks, Utah
Stephen R. Nagy
National Philanthropic Trust
Henry and Carol Sue Neale
Neall Family Charitable Foundation
Ms. Elizabeth Newton
Frederick G. Novy
Oaktree Capital Management, L.P.
Mary Olowin
Lida Orzeck
Charles E. Pallas
Lisa G. Palser
Richard E. Parker
William F. Partridge, D.D.S.
George and Cheryl Patton
Mr. Ronald Perez
Tadd and Caroline Perkins
Peter and Dorothy Lapp Foundation
Stephen and Marilyn Pizer
Ellen Posel and Stephen Gockley
Ms. Frances R. Posel
Debbie M. Purnel
Mr. Richard R. Rammer
Susan Ramsdell
Mr. Joseph Rangel
Janet L. Rash
Elizabeth S. Ray
Harvey Reisine and Margaret Moore
Benjamin A. Rice
Mr. Walter R. Richardson, Sr.
Pauline Rippel
Jennifer and David Risher
Gail Jones Koehn of the Robert K. & A.
Joyce Jones Foundation
Ms. Jane Robinson
Thomas Rock and Melissa Raphan
Mr. William W. Rowe
Mark E. Rowell
Peter K. Rusterholz
Elizabeth Sandager
Jack and Lindsey Sayers
Ami Schiess-Peay and Andy Peay
Rose and Edward Schmidt Haven
Gary and Leah Schoolnik
Dr. Michelle P. Scott
Scruggs Memorial Fund
Peter Durst and Ellen Seale
Keith and Kathryn Shetlar
Sidney Stern Memorial Trust
Ira and Sharon Silverman
Margaret K. Smith
Ann C. Smith
David Sonstegard
James and Joyce Spain
Mary Jane Spiro
Richard and Jill Spitz
William J. Spratt, Jr.
Dr. Nammalwar Sriranganathan
Diana Stark
Hayes and Patricia Stover
Robert L. Strauss
Richard J. Street
Daniel E. Struemph
Sun Management Inc.
Anne Sward Hansen & Robert Hansen
Eleanor H. Swent
David O. Tanner
Mr. Michael Taron
Dalton Tarwater
Alexander and Lura Teass
Donald C. Teeters
Teresa and Jimmy Wong Family Foundation
Carol Teutsch
Christine B. Thomas
The Tortoise and Snap Fund
Don and Mary Troyer
Allen F. Turcke M.D.
Antonius Van Haagen and Laishyang
Ouyong
Mr. John H. Vickery
Winona Vivian
Stephen Waldman
Bradford and Carol Walters
Ms. Nancy Warfield
Ms. Sharon L. Waterous
Elizabeth F. Watts
Douglas and Judith Weinstock
Dov N. Weitman
Linden and Judith Welch
Lucille S. Werlinich
William White
Whitney Family Charitable Fund
Beverly and David Wickstrom
Wieden+Kennedy
Will J. Reid Foundation
Grant T. Williams
Ms. Leslie K. Williams
Mr. Theodore Wimmer
Julia C. Winiarski
Paul and Patricia Winkler
Winky Foundation
D. Susan Wisely
Naomi W. Wolf
Carolyn V. Wood
Elizabeth Woolley
Field and Susan Workum
Karen A. Yust
Patricia H. Zalaznik
Rudolph H. Zeisenhenne
A star ( ) by the donor’s name indicates this donor has created a pathway to Native student success through a multi-year commitment.
A flame ( ) by the donor’s name indicates this donor is a confirmed member of our Circle of Vision Society and has included the American Indian College Fund in their estate plans.
AUDITED FINANCIAL INFORMATION
2023-24 Fiscal Year
“Ledger art is part of a long tradition of Native people documenting their history on their own terms.”
– Haku Blaisdell
Ledger art symbolizes adaptation, strength of tradition in the face of adversity, and the transformative power of Indigenous creativity. Born with the rise of the Reservation Era, ledger art began as a continuation of the Plains Native tradition of documenting history and personal narratives pictorially. Settlers used ledger books to track things like supply inventories and finances. In the hands of Indigenous artists, facts and figures on government ledgers would be drawn or painted over to tell the stories of their people in a changing world. In recent years, ledger art has gained renewed interest from Indigenous artists across Turtle Island. From Alaska to the Southeast and in the Plains, contemporary Native artists are putting their own spin on the style. Female artists are also claiming the medium as a space to depict stories of womanhood and their experiences. Native artists are turning dry, structured, western concepts into colorful representations of Indigenous thought and wisdom, much like our Native staff, students, and scholars.
Cheryl Crazy Bull (Sicangu Lakota) President and CEO
Tammy Miller-Carlson, CPA Chief Financial and Operations Officer
NancyJo Houk Chief Marketing and Development Officer
David Sanders, Ph.D. (Oglala Lakota)
Vice President, Research, Evaluation and Faculty Development
Emily R. White Hat, J.D. (Sicangu Lakota) Vice President, Programs
Tiffany Gusbeth (Northern Cheyenne) Vice President, Student Success Services
This annual report is © 2024 by the American Indian College Fund. All rights reserved.
Editor: Dina Horwedel
Associate Editor: Colleen Billiot
Design and Layout: Amita Manandhar
Photos: © American Indian College Fund unless named below.
Photos of Deborah Taffa and the book Whiskey Tender courtesy of Deborah Taffa.
American Indian College Fund Executive Leadership
