Discover Funding Opportunities

Established in December of 2001, the North Carolina American Indian Fund is a collaborative effort of North Carolina American Indian tribes and organizations. It was established in response to an understanding that resources for meeting the human and economic needs are limited, including scholarship assistance, funding for community based health, human services, education programs, and tribal organization infrastructure. Recognizing that gaps in funding for education needs put Indian communities at risk in many areas, education was selected as the first priority to address these critical gaps. The North Carolina American Indian Fund Scholarship program will assist American Indian students in obtaining higher education by providing scholarships to students who demonstrate a commitment to the American Indian community, extracurricular and volunteer involvement, financial need, and academic success. The scholarship provides a one-time payment of $1,000 that may be used towards any need listed under the school's total cost of attendance.

The American Indian College Fund provides scholarships to American Indian and Alaska Native college students who are enrolled in certificate, undergraduate, or graduate programs at tribal colleges and universities, or nonprofit, accredited schools. The College Fund manages a wide portfolio of scholarship programs, with TCU students eligible for all opportunities. Applicants only need to submit one application every year to be considered. The scholarship programs are available to high school students planning to pursue higher education, students at Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), and students at non-tribal accredited nonprofit colleges or universities in the U.S. Applications are available every year starting on February 1st in anticipation of the upcoming fall term, with a priority review deadline of May 31st for current college students.

The Yale Group for the Study of Native America (YGSNA) invites applications for the Henry Roe Cloud Dissertation Writing Fellowship in American Indian and Indigenous Studies. Since 2010, the Roe Cloud Fellowship has helped to develop American Indian Studies at Yale by facilitating the completion of the doctorate by scholars working on pressing issues related to the American Indian experience. Scholars working on topics in Indigenous Studies that relate to the study of North American Indians are also encouraged to apply. The Fellowship will support a graduate scholar in any doctoral field for the academic year, beginning August 1, 2026, and ending July 31, 2027. Graduate students working towards careers in higher education who have completed all doctoral requirements but the dissertation are invited to apply. The expectation is that the dissertation will be completed during the fellowship year. The criteria for selection will be based on an assessment of the quality of the candidate's work and the project's overall significance for the study of American Indian and Indigenous Studies. The Roe Cloud Fellowship provides support comparable to that for Yale University graduate students, including an annual stipend, health care coverage, and full access to Yale facilities and services. The fellow will work in close affiliation with the Ethnicity, Race, and Migration (ERM) Program and the Center for the Study of Race, Indigeneity, and Transnational Migration (RITM). The fellow will have access to Yale's exceptional research libraries, including the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library and Manuscripts and Archives at Sterling Memorial Library. Each fellow will be mentored by a professor drawn from the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and will be responsible for making a formal YGSNA presentation of the project during the academic year. The fellow will also have the opportunity to participate in the activities of the Howard R. Lamar Center for the Study of Frontiers and Borders, the Native American Cultural Center, as well as the YGSNA working group.

The Louis R. (Dick) Unzelman American Indian Scholarship supports full-time junior students pursuing a major within the College of Engineering at North Dakota State University. Applicants must be members of a state or federally recognized Native American tribe. The scholarship gives preference to students who have an interest in returning to a tribal reservation to work as an engineer upon completion of their studies. Students are automatically considered for this scholarship based on their completed General Application through the NDSU scholarship portal.

The James N. Jarvis, MD Native American Indian Medical Student Scholarship is a scholarship opportunity offered through the University at Buffalo. This scholarship is specifically designated for medical students enrolled in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. The award supports Native American Indian students pursuing their medical education at the University at Buffalo, providing financial assistance to help them complete their medical degree.

The IHS Scholarship Program provides qualified American Indian and Alaska Native health professions students an opportunity to establish an educational foundation for each stage of their pre-professional careers. Since IHS began providing scholarship support to American Indian and Alaska Native students to pursue health profession careers in 1978, the program has grown to support, educate and place health care professionals within medically underserved Indian health programs throughout the continental United States and Alaska. Nearly 7,000 American Indian and Alaska Native students have received scholarship awards and many have committed to serving their health profession careers at IHS, with some returning to serve their own Tribal communities. The scholarship program provides financial support in exchange for a minimum two-year service commitment within an Indian health program in the recipient's chosen health professional discipline. The program is designed for those who envision a career with a true purpose and mission in Indian health programs, serving communities where they can truly make a difference in healthcare delivery to American Indian and Alaska Native populations.

The Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP) program is an alliance-based program that invests in the Nation's colleges and universities to aid student success and create a new generation of STEM discoverers for the national STEM enterprise. LSAMP works to diversify the nation's science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce by increasing the number of STEM baccalaureate and graduate degrees awarded to persons from LSAMP populations: Blacks and African-Americans, Hispanic and Latino Americans, American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. The program provides funding to alliances that implement comprehensive, evidence-based, innovative, and sustained strategies that result in the graduation of well-prepared, highly competitive students from LSAMP populations who pursue graduate studies or careers in STEM. Projects supported include Alliance Development Grants, Bridge-to-the-Baccalaureate alliances, STEM Pathways Implementation-Only alliances, STEM Pathways Research Alliances, Bridge to STEM Graduate Degrees in National Priorities for Master's and Doctoral students, and STEM Networking Incentives and Engagement projects. The program emphasizes emerging science and technology areas including quantum information science, advanced materials and manufacturing, artificial intelligence, data science and analytics, climate change, cybersecurity, robotics, plant genetics/agricultural technologies, clean energy, and semiconductors/microelectronics.

The Greater Milwaukee Foundation Jackie Mussfeldt Scholarship is awarded to select undergraduate students at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee who meet specific criteria. The scholarship is designed for full-time students from Wisconsin or the Upper Peninsula of Michigan who demonstrate financial need and maintain good academic standing. A key requirement is active participation in the activities of the Electa Quinney Institute (EQI) for American Indian Education. A distinctive feature of this scholarship is its preference for students who demonstrate motivation, perseverance, and a strong work ethic in their academic coursework, even if they do not necessarily achieve excellent grades. This approach recognizes the dedication and effort students put forth in their educational journey. The scholarship varies in amount, with an anticipated total of $8,000 over the full term of the award. Applicants are required to submit supplemental responses discussing their work ethic, academic efforts, and involvement with the Electa Quinney Institute for American Indian Education.

This scholarship is awarded to select students engaged in the activities of the Electa Quinney Institute or related programs and curricula. The scholarship recognizes students who demonstrate understanding of kinship and responsibility within Indigenous communities. Students are asked to articulate personal, familial, or community narratives about these concepts and their specific connections to Indigenous communities in Wisconsin, the United States, or globally. The Electa Quinney Institute for American Indian Education at UW-Milwaukee provides this support to graduate students pursuing studies related to Indigenous education and community engagement.

The purpose of this notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) is to support research on interventions to improve health in Native American (NA) populations. This includes 1) etiologic research, where there is a significant gap in knowledge, that will directly inform intervention development or adaptations, 2) research that develops, adapts, or tests the efficacy or effectiveness of health promotion and disease prevention interventions, 3) research that tests culturally informed treatment or recovery interventions and 4) where a sufficient body of knowledge on intervention efficacy exists, research on dissemination and implementation that develops and tests strategies to overcome barriers to the adoption, integration, scale-up, and sustainability of effective interventions. Existing data suggest that significant acute and chronic disease inequities exist for NA populations. Concurrently, NA populations experience unique sociopolitical, historical, and environmental stressors and risks that may exacerbate health conditions and/or impact the effectiveness of existing solutions to address the conditions. They also possess unique strengths and resiliencies that can mitigate stressors or inform intervention strategies. Through this initiative, intervention and related research is sought to build upon community knowledge, resources, and resilience to test science-based, culturally appropriate solutions to reduce morbidity and mortality through identification and remediation of precursors to diseases and disorders and through culturally informed treatment. Interventions should be designed with a consideration for sustainability within the communities where they are tested, and have the flexibility to be readily adapted, disseminated, and scaled up to other communities where culturally appropriate. For the purposes of this NOFO, NA includes the following populations: Alaska Natives, American Indians (whose ancestral lands fall at least partially within the U.S. main land).

The John C. Ewers Book Award is given annually by the Western History Association for the best published book on North American (including Mexico) Indian Ethnohistory. The award provides $500 to the author and a certificate to the publisher. Named after John Canfield Ewers (1909-1997), a renowned American ethnologist and museum curator who was one of the country's foremost interpreters of American Indian culture, this award recognizes outstanding scholarly contributions to the field of Native American ethnohistory. Publishers may submit more than one title each year, and all submissions must have a 2025 copyright date for the current cycle. The award is supported by the Ewers family and administered by the Western History Association, with recipients notified at the end of August each year.

The American Anthropological Association invites minority doctoral candidates in anthropology to apply for a dissertation writing fellowship of $10,000. The annual Dissertation Fellowship for Historically Underrepresented Persons in Anthropology (formerly the Minority Dissertation Award) is intended to encourage members of racialized minorities to complete doctoral degrees in anthropology, thereby increasing diversity in the discipline and/or promoting research on issues of concern among minority populations. Dissertation topics in all areas of the discipline are welcome. Doctoral students who require financial assistance to complete the write-up phase of the dissertation are urged to apply. A nonrenewable dissertation fellowship of $10,000 will be provided annually to one anthropology graduate student. In addition, the fellowship award winner will receive paid registration to the annual meeting and reimbursement travel to the annual meeting from the Yolanda T. Moses Minority Travel Fund. Award recipients are expected to serve on the selection committee for the following two years. Applicants must be members of historically underrepresented U.S. racialized minority groups such as African Americans, Alaska Natives, American Indians or Native Americans, Asian Americans, Latino/as, Chicano/as, or Pacific Islanders. Candidates must have graduated from a U.S. high school or completed a GED certificate in the U.S., be enrolled in a full-time doctoral program in anthropology, and have had their dissertation proposals approved by their dissertation committees prior to application.

The Donald L. Fixico Book Award recognizes innovative work in the field of American Indian and Canadian First Nations History that centers Indigenous epistemologies and perspectives. Established in 2018 by the Western History Association, the award honors Dr. Fixico's prolific scholarly legacy and celebrates the vibrant future of the field. Books that address Indigenous history in the United States and Canada with a 2025 copyright date are eligible for the award. The award provides $1,000 to the recipient and is presented annually at the Western History Association conference. Presses are required to submit nominations and a copy of the volume to each member of the award committee by the March 15 deadline.

The Indian Health Service (IHS) Scholarship Program is a federally-funded program that provides scholarships to American Indian and Alaska Native students pursuing health profession degrees. The program funds scholarships for various health disciplines including clinical and preventive services fields. Recipients receive financial support for their education in exchange for a service commitment to work in Indian health programs after graduation. The scholarship covers tuition, fees, and provides a stipend for living expenses. Students must be enrolled in an accredited program in an eligible health profession discipline. The program is designed to address the healthcare workforce needs of American Indian and Alaska Native communities by supporting students who will serve these populations after completing their education.

This award supports graduate students in completing degree requirements, professional development in their field and/or research efforts that are not supported via other means. The award is specifically designed to support Indigenous graduate students affiliated with the Electa Quinney Institute for American Indian Education at UW-Milwaukee. Awards will be given to support travel, site visits, research presentations, needed research supplies, and other research-related activities. Recipients are expected to demonstrate how their research and activities provide reciprocity and participation within the Electa Quinney Institute (EQI) community and how their work contributes to and supports building within Indigenous communities.

The American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) provides scholarships to fund the STEM futures of American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, and First Nations students. AISES recognizes education as a means of empowerment and personal growth, fostering the diversity Indigenous students bring to STEM landscapes. The organization provides financial aid to Indigenous students in STEM through scholarships funded by dedicated donors and partners. AISES scholarships help minimize the barriers of college and university affordability among Indigenous students so they can continue on their paths to education. Contrary to popular belief, college is not free for Indigenous students, and these scholarships address the overwhelming expense many Native American students face when leaving their home communities to pursue higher education. The program has awarded over $7 million in scholarships to students pursuing STEM degrees. The scholarship program operates through the Online Scholarship Application Information System (OASIS), which matches students with scholarships they qualify for based on their eligibility criteria. Various scholarships are available including the AISES Stellantis Scholarship ($20,000) for automotive service technician students and travel scholarships for the AISES National Conference.

The Cobell Scholarship provides elevated opportunities for high achieving, community involved Native American college scholars with leadership experience. The scholarship program is designed to empower recipients with an impactful scholarship experience that supports their success in higher education. Named after Elouise Cobell, a prominent Native American activist, this scholarship serves undergraduate, graduate, and vocational/trade school students from American Indian and Indigenous backgrounds. The program honors Cobell's legacy and her vision that young people should understand the way the world works and question everything that comes before them.

The Trennert-Iverson scholarship provides two $500 annual awards to graduate students at the M.A. or Ph.D. level to help lessen the burden of costs to attend the annual Western History Association conference. In addition to the $500 cash award, the scholarship covers the cost of conference registration and tickets to the welcoming reception, the graduate student reception, and the Awards Banquet. This scholarship honors two distinguished scholars: Peter Iverson, Emeritus Professor at Arizona State University who served as the 44th WHA president, and Robert Trennert, a charter member of the Western History Association and member of the Emeritus College at Arizona State University. Both scholars were dedicated mentors to graduate students and made significant contributions to American Indian history and Western history. The scholarship supports graduate students pursuing research in Western history and related fields.

The Cobell Scholarship Program is a comprehensive educational funding initiative honoring the legacy of Elouise 'Yellow Bird Woman' Cobell. The program offers a range of scholarships and fellowships to support undergraduate, graduate, vocational, and doctoral students who are enrolled members of U.S. Federally-recognized American Indian Tribes and Alaska Native Corporations. The program includes multiple scholarship types: Undergraduate Scholarships for students pursuing bachelor's or associate degrees, Graduate & Professional Scholarships for master's, doctoral, and professional degree students, Vocational & Trade School Scholarships for those pursuing diplomas, certificates, or AAS degrees, Summer Scholarships for degree-seeking students needing summer coursework, Graduate Summer Research Fellowships for students conducting summer research, and the Elouise Cobell Dissertation Writing-Year Fellowship for doctoral candidates within 12 months of completing their dissertation. All scholarships are merit-based following a thorough application and review process, with awards disbursed according to US Federal Student Aid standards. Recipients must attend nationally, regionally, or industry-accredited nonprofit public or private institutions and be enrolled in full-time study while pursuing a degree.

Leaders from the Good Land offers support to Native Americans working to become licensed administrators in schools throughout the State of Wisconsin. The supported programs must result in licensure. Proof of membership in a federally or state-recognized tribe is required to be accepted to the program. Funding from this grant is contingent upon a service payback obligation, meaning that it will not need to be paid back if graduates seek employment in qualifying schools in the state of Wisconsin. Financial support covers the cost of tuition, books, initial licensing exams, a one-time allowance for a laptop as needed, and a stipend for general expenses. This scholarship is administered through the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and the Electa Quinney Institute for American Indian Education.