- Details
- By Native News Online Staff
The American Indian College Fund received a three-year grant from Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies for a project that will help to build a solid foundation to encourage the advancement of Native arts.
The American Indian College Fund will distribute funds to six tribal colleges and universities (TCUs). Each of the participating TCUs will receive $100,000 to enrich their curricula by integrating Indigenous education values and incorporate Native knowledge, language, and cultural practices. The project will also help to expand institutional capacity, developing or revising academic courses, minors, and certificate and degree programs.
The six participating TCUs and their programs are:
- Ilisagvik College, Barrow, Alaska
- Iñupiat Art Curriculum Development and Enhancement
- Northwest Indian College, Bellingham, Washington
- Xwel’xweleqw (A metaphor for the “people who survive)
- Salish Kootenai College, Pablo, Montana
- Puti es sxʷilwisi: Continuing the Journey by Rethinking Culture and Language Education at SKC
- Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute, Albuquerque, New Mexico
- Weaving Art into the Curriculum
- Stone Child College, Box Elder, Montana
- Neiyahwahk Kahyahs Kahkitahsinahikechik (Traditional Chippewa-Cree Artwork)
- United Tribes Technical College, Bismarck, North Dakota
- Mitákuye Oyás'iŋ Native Arts
“Native arts are both the symbolic and the practical embodiment of Indigenous ways of knowing and being in the world. We are honored to support our communities as they increase the visibility of traditional and contemporary Native arts and appreciate the partnership with our TCUs and MACP that makes this possible." American Indian College Fund President and CEO, Cheryl Crazy Bull, said,
More Stories Like This
Mackie Moore (Cherokee) Named Interim President of Haskell Indian Nations UniversityMohawk Students File Legal Suit Over Changes Impacting Access to Federal Financial Aid
Trump Administration Proposes Deep Cuts to Tribal College Funding, Threatening Their Survival
USU Researchers Find Relationship Building, Local Cultural Knowledge Key for Indigenous Learners
Zuni Youth Enrichment Project Brings Traditional Dance and Cultural Learning to 450 Students This Spring
Help us tell the stories that could save Native languages and food traditions
At a critical moment for Indian Country, Native News Online is embarking on our most ambitious reporting project yet: "Cultivating Culture," a three-year investigation into two forces shaping Native community survival—food sovereignty and language revitalization.
The devastating impact of COVID-19 accelerated the loss of Native elders and with them, irreplaceable cultural knowledge. Yet across tribal communities, innovative leaders are fighting back, reclaiming traditional food systems and breathing new life into Native languages. These aren't just cultural preservation efforts—they're powerful pathways to community health, healing, and resilience.
Our dedicated reporting team will spend three years documenting these stories through on-the-ground reporting in 18 tribal communities, producing over 200 in-depth stories, 18 podcast episodes, and multimedia content that amplifies Indigenous voices. We'll show policymakers, funders, and allies how cultural restoration directly impacts physical and mental wellness while celebrating successful models of sovereignty and self-determination.
This isn't corporate media parachuting into Indian Country for a quick story. This is sustained, relationship-based journalism by Native reporters who understand these communities. It's "Warrior Journalism"—fearless reporting that serves the 5.5 million readers who depend on us for news that mainstream media often ignores.
We need your help right now. While we've secured partial funding, we're still $450,000 short of our three-year budget. Our immediate goal is $25,000 this month to keep this critical work moving forward—funding reporter salaries, travel to remote communities, photography, and the deep reporting these stories deserve.
Every dollar directly supports Indigenous journalists telling Indigenous stories. Whether it's $5 or $50, your contribution ensures these vital narratives of resilience, innovation, and hope don't disappear into silence.
The stakes couldn't be higher. Native languages are being lost at an alarming rate. Food insecurity plagues many tribal communities. But solutions are emerging, and these stories need to be told.
Support independent Native journalism. Fund the stories that matter.
Levi Rickert (Potawatomi), Editor & Publisher
