by Roz Brown for Public News Service
Two months after noting a drop in financial support, the American Indian College Fund has received a $70 million contribution from a major U.S. philanthropist, with no strings attached.
The unrestricted grant from Yield Giving was made on behalf of Mackenzie Scott, who helped launch Amazon.com in 1994. The gift comes just months after funding for the nonprofit faltered following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cheryl Crazy Bull, president and CEO of the American Indian College Fund, said the gift lets the organization expand scholarships for students attending tribal colleges and universities.
"They are among the most responsive institutions when it comes to aligning their curriculum with tribal and local and even regional priorities for education," Crazy Bull pointed out.
Crazy Bull said the financial gift gives the schools more flexibility to fine-tune their programming and curriculum as they evaluate the needs of surrounding communities. It is estimated about 15% of Indigenous people hold a college degree, which is less than half the national average. Financial support is a major hurdle for many students.
Navajo Technical University, with campuses in New Mexico and Arizona, stands to benefit from the financial gift.
Elmer Guy, president of the university, said students working toward their degrees actively engage to find solutions to problems, from clean water to the manufacture of renewable batteries.
"Hoping that with that knowledge you work with the Navajo Nation and maybe the Navajo Nation can develop a manufacturing plant to produce renewable batteries for electric vehicles that is safe, is lighter, and lasts longer," Guy outlined.
He hopes those who graduate from tribal institutions will become professionals in their own Indigenous communities.
"You work with them, you prepare them the best you can, and then they go on. And hoping that when they graduate, they'll come back and help their communities," Guy explained.
Navajo Technical University offers a wide range of degrees, from trade certificates and associate degrees to bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs across multiple academic programs.