Everything You Ought To Know About Native American Grants

Native Americans have been under-represented in institutions of higher education throughout American history. In order to uplift this community, many universities and colleges provide opportunities to access numerous scholarships and Grants that can help them pursue a graduation degree. There are a variety of Native American Grants. So, once you have selected the most suitable one as per your requirements, you can proceed with the application process.

Acquiring a Native American Grants requires tedious documentation. So, in this article, we shall discuss all that you need to know before applying for Native American Grants.

1. Proving your native descent

Being a Native American is an obvious requirement to be eligible for applying to these scholarships or Grants. For example, the Indian Descent needs to be proven with authentic documentation and a minimum ¼ American Indian proportion is necessary. Once you have the essential documents to prove the same, The Bureau of Indian Affairs shall issue a Certificate of Degree of Indian Blood. Through this certificate, the individual can present a full genealogy proving their Native American ancestry.

In addition to this, students would be required to research in detail of their American Indian heritage by the use of the Dawes Rolls, both family and tribal records must be inspected to become well-versed with your ancestry. The most reliable resources to begin this search are Federally recognized Tribal nations , The Dawes Indian Census Rolls and Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). Once you have obtained sufficient proof of your Native American descent, you can begin searching for educational Grants available to you.

1. Assistance of Federal Sources to avail Indian Education Grants

Under various programs to smoothen the relationship between the American Government and the Tribal Nations, the Federal Government has readily become dedicated to the cause of helping Native Americans find suitable educational opportunities. The BIA administers various education scholarships and Grants with the help of  the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE). The latter offers Grants that are open to all graduate and undergraduate students who possess the Certificate of Degree of Indian Blood. Some prominent Grants include the Embry-Riddle Scholarship in Science and Technology, the  Indian Health Service Scholarship and the  BIE Higher Education Grants .

1. Acquiring Native American Grants through the AICF

The American Indian College Fund (AICF) was established with the vision of promoting education for Native Americans in tribal and non-tribal universities and schools. Since 1989, the AICF has been offering plenty of annual scholarships for interested students and these are available either for students attending a non-tribal college or for those wishing to study in a tribal college or university. Additionally, Grants are also offered to students desiring to pursue education at any other tribal or non-tribal education institution.

1. Help from Tribal Nations

Once you have a proof of which tribal nation you descend from, you can directly approach the said nation for Grants or scholarships. A variety of tribal nations offer financial aid to college members.

1. Target your field of specialization

Native American students have enrolled in few numbers in the STEM fields which comprise of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. There is a nationwide push to enroll students of a native heritage into these disciplines. As a result, there are specialized Study Grants that are generated from governments, universities or even private associations, each of these Grants focus on attracting prospective students to pursue their education in subjects associated to the STEM fields. Therefore, a native American who’s seeking admission in these fields can search for financial aid that targets one particular subject. For instance, the University of Arizona offers financial aid to indigenous students wishing to study law whereas The Indian Health Service provides scholarships to those indigenous students wishing to serve in the healthcare industry.

Native American Grants are available in plenty; all that’s needed is careful speculation and step-by-step preparation to avail them. Financial-aid can increase your chances of enrolling in top universities or institutions, so we encourage you to look for prospective Grants to work your way towards a bright future!