Research Guides: Resources for Native American Graduate Students : Financial Aid, Fellowships, Grants, & Resources

Financial Aid Available to Native Americans

Programs that Support studies at the undergraduate level in the United States. Usually no return of service or repayment is required.

American Indian College Fund
The American Indian College Fund (the College Fund) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that provides American Indians with student scholarships and programs to support academic readiness and student success. The College Fund also helps support accredited tribal colleges and universities located on or near Indian reservations.
American Indian Education Foundation
Since 1997, the American Indian Education Foundation (AIEF) has given hope to Native American students by providing the tools they need to succeed.
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Provides scholarship services along with help with school supplies, small grants, emergency aid, and college preparation.
American Indian Science and Engineering Society
The American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) is a national, nonprofit organization focused on substantially increasing the representation of American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders, First Nations and other indigenous peoples of North America in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) studies and careers.
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Scholarships include; AISES A. T. Anderson Memorial Scholarship, Burlington North Santa Fe (BNSF) Foundation Scholarship, Chevron Corporation Scholarship, Intel Scholarship, NextEra Energy – Ford Dry Lake Scholarship Program

The ASSIST Program
Association of American Indian Affairs
AAIA is a national Indian organization with offices in Maryland and Rhode Island. We are governed by an all-Native American Board of Directors from across the country. Our programs fall into three main categories: youth/education, cultural preservation and sovereignty.
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Multiple undergraduate and graduate scholarships are available. Emergency aid is also available as well.
Catching the Dream
The mission of Catching the Dream, founded in 1986, is to help improve the quality of life in Indian communities through the higher education of Indian people. We provide scholarship funds for students who demonstrate academic achievement, clearly defined goals, leadership, the determination to succeed, and the desire to return to their communities and help others realize their dreams. We assist Indian schools in preparing students for success in college.
The Lagrant Foundation Scholarship Program
The LAGRANT Foundation (TLF) will award 40 scholarships in 2016. Of the 40, 20 undergraduate ethnically diverse minority undergraduate students will receive scholarships of $2,500 each and 20 graduate students will receive scholarships of $5,000 each. Students must be attending four-year accredited institutions in the U.S. and majoring in the fields of advertising, marketing or public relations.
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TLF accepts applications from undergraduate students (current freshmen, sophomores, juniors and non-graduating seniors ONLY) and graduate students.
The National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development
The National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development is proud to provide scholarship programs to eligible students seeking higher education.
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NCAIED AMERICAN INDIAN BUSINESS SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM -- includes scholarships for undergraduate and graduate students studying Business and Economic Development
Society of Women Engineers
SWE Scholarships support women pursuing ABET-accredited bachelor or graduate student programs in preparation for careers in engineering, engineering technology and computer science in the United States
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Various scholarships are available for minority students studying engineering.
Southwest Indian Agricultural Association
Two scholarships are available for undergraduate students and one for graduate students. The purposes of the scholarships are first; to increase the knowledge and awareness of the importance of Indian agriculture and natural resources; and second, to assist Indian college students with their educational expenses.

Programs that support studies at the graduate level in the United States, including work on a master's degree, doctorate, professional degree, or specialist's certificate.

American Anthorpological Association Various Fellowships
Various selection of international and national fellowships. Please explore each program for further information.
American Council of Learned Societies Fellowhship Program
ACLS continues to be the leading private institution supporting scholars in the humanities and related social sciences at the doctoral and postdoctoral levels. Fellows and grantees in all programs are selected by committees of scholars appointed for this purpose.
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For the purpose of these competitions, the humanities and related social sciences include but are not limited to American studies; anthropology; archaeology; art history and architectural history; classics; economics; ethnic studies; film; gender studies; geography; history; languages and literatures; legal studies; linguistics; musicology; philosophy; political science; psychology; religious studies; rhetoric, communication, and media studies; sociology; and theater, dance, and performance studies.
American Indian Graduate Center
The American Indian Graduate Center is a national organization headquartered in Albuquerque, New Mexico providing educational assistance to American Indian and Alaska Native graduate and undergraduate students throughout the United States.
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Variety of Fellowships available including, BIE STEM Loan for Service, Cobell Scholarship, AIGC Fellowship
American Philosphical Society Fellowship and Grants
Since 1933 the American Philosophical Society has awarded research grants to more than 15,000 scholars and encourages all eligible current candidates to apply for our grants and fellowships. We continuously review our application forms and submission procedures to make them as simple and as clear as possible, but we do require that applicants and referees use these forms and procedures
American Political Science Association Minority Fellowship Program
The Minority Fellows Program (MFP) is a fellowship competition for individuals from underrepresented backgrounds applying to or in the early stages of doctoral programs in political science. The MFP was established in 1969 (originally as the Black Graduate Fellowship) to increase the number of minority scholars in the discipline.
American Sodiological Association MInortity Fellowship Program
Through its Minority Fellowship Program (MFP), the American Sociological Association (ASA) supports the development and training of sociologists of color in any sub-area or specialty in the discipline.
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The annual stipend for each award (August 1- July 31) is $18,000. In addition, arrangements for the payments of tuition are made with universities or departments. There are also limited funds available for travel to the ASA Annual Meeting each August, regional or aligned association meetings in the spring or fall, and professional development training programs and workshops.
The Aspen Insitute - Various Fellowship Opportunities
The Aspen Institute Program on Philanthropy and Social Innovation (PSI) in Washington, DC offers the William Randolph Hearst Endowed Fellowship to one student three times annually. The fellowship, which is based on academic excellence and need, is open to both undergraduate and graduate students of color
College Art Association Professional Development Fellowships
CAA’s Professional-Development Fellowships program supports promising artists, designers, craftspersons, historians, curators, and critics who are enrolled in MFA, PhD, and other terminal degree programs nationwide. Fellows are honored with $10,000 grants to help them with various aspects of their work, whether it be for job-search expenses or purchasing materials for the studio.
Ford Foundation Fellowship Program
Through its Fellowship Programs, the Ford Foundation seeks to increase the diversity of the nation’s college and university faculties by increasing their ethnic and racial diversity, to maximize the educational benefits of diversity, and to increase the number of professors who can and will use diversity as a resource for enriching the education of all students.
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Predoctoral, Dissertation, and Postdoctoral fellowships will be awarded in a national competition administered by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine on behalf of the Ford Foundation
Howard Hughes Medical Institute Gilliam Fellowships
The goal of the Gilliam Fellowships for Advanced Study program is to ensure the development of a diverse and highly trained workforce is available to assume leadership roles in science, including college and university faculty, who have the responsibility to teach the next generation of scientists. Students are chosen for their academic excellence, scientific potential, and commitment to the advancement of diversity and inclusion in the sciences.
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Up to three years
Supports years three, four, and five of a PhD program
2016-2017 fellowship year compensation: $46,000
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, Medicine
The Academies offer several fellowships in science, engineering, and medicine. Information on eligibility guidelines and application deadlines is available on specific programs' websites
The National GEM Consortium Fellowship and Internship Programs
GEM’s fellowship programs span the entire recruitment, retention, and professional development spectrum. GEM’s principal activity is the provision of graduate fellowships at the MS and Ph.D. levels coupled with paid summer internships . GEM also offers fellowships without paid summer internships through our GEM University and Associate Fellowship programs
National Science Foundation Research Fellowships
The following programs provide either direct (i.e., from NSF) or indirect (i.e., from an awardee institution) funding for students at this level or identify programs that focus on educational developments for this group such as curricula development, training or retention.
Newberry Library Fellowships
Newberry fellowships provide support for researchers who wish to use our collection. We promise you intriguing and often rare materials; a lively, interdisciplinary community of researchers; individual consultations on your research with staff curators, librarians, and other scholars; and an array of both scholarly and public programs. The Newberry administers annual competitions for both Long-Term Fellowships of 4 to 12 months and Short-Term Fellowships of 1 to 2 months.
Playwright's Center Many Voices Fellowship and Residencies
Supported by a grant from the Jerome Foundation, the Playwrights' Center's Many Voices Program is designed to increase cultural diversity in the contemporary theater, both locally and nationally, through cash grants, education, and opportunities to develop new work with theater professionals
Robert Toigo Foundation Fellowship
The Toigo MBA Fellowship provides minority MBA candidates committed to careers in finance with an unmatched network of contacts, a prestigious point of difference in the eyes of employers, one-on-one career guidance, leadership training, a merit award—and more.
SAMHSA Minority Fellowship Program
The Minority Fellowship Program (MFP) at the American Nurses Association (ANA) grew as a response to the lack of mental health and substance abuse nurse professionals who could provide culturally competent care to an increasingly diverse population with ever-expanding needs for mental health and substance abuse disorders services, research, advocacy, and policy development.

Programs that provide funds to support Native Americans' innovative efforts, travel, projects, creative activities, or research on any level.

American Education Research Association
About the AERA Grants Program:
With funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the American Educational Research Association (AERA) is pleased to announce the continuation of the AERA Grants Program, which provides small grants and training for researchers who conduct studies of education policy and practice using quantitative methods and including the analysis of data from the large-scale data sets sponsored by National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and NSF
Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Grant Opportunities
Established in 1996, the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation (DDCF) supports four national grant-making programs: the Arts Program, the Child Well-being Program, the Environment Program and the Medical Research Program.
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In order to develop the foundation’s grant-making strategies, the foundation's program staff conducts extensive research to identify gaps or needs in the fields it supports. Typically, this research leads to the development of a grant "initiative," which supports a set of related grants that advance a specific goal or objective. Once an initiative is developed, grants are awarded in a variety of ways, including foundation-initiated invitations to apply, re-granting competitions that are administered by service organizations and competitions that are run using request-for-proposal processes. Occasionally, the foundation also supports opportunistic grants that are more broadly related to the programs' missions.
Federal Department and Agency Grants
Grants.gov is the central repository and clearinghouse for information on over 1,000 grant programs and provides access to more than $100 billion worth of grants distributed annually. It provides organizations with a single website where they can “FIND”and “APPLY” for federal discretionary grants.
National Endowment for the Humanities Various Grants
The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is an independent federal agency created in 1965. It is one of the largest funders of humanities programs in the United States. The Endowment accomplishes this mission by awarding grants for top-rated proposals examined by panels of independent, external reviewers.
National Institute on Aging
In addition to the research priorities of its intramural and extramural divisions, NIA is involved in a number of special initiatives that expand and enhance its mission. These initiatives often involve other NIH Institutes and Centers, as well as other organizations and agencies involved in research on health and aging
School for Advanced Research
he School for Advanced Research (SAR) supports advanced scholarship and creativity in the social sciences, the humanities, and Native American art. Since 1907, SAR has supported innovative programs that expand our knowledge of human nature, culture, and creativity.
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Various grants and awards include; Native Artists, Indigenous Writer-in-Residence, Scholars, Seminars, Internships, Awards, Symposiums
National Institute of Health Various Grants
Did you know that NIH is the largest public funder of biomedical research in the world, investing more than $32 billion a year to enhance life, and reduce illness and disability? NIH funded research has led to breakthroughs and new treatments, helping people live longer, healthier lives, and building the research foundation that drives discovery

Resources

Foundation Directory Online This link opens in a new window
This Candid resource provides comprehensive information on grants from public and private foundations, corporate giving programs, and grant-making public charities. Candid provides some free learning resource linked at the bottom of the site.
Provided by the UNM Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR)
Pivot This link opens in a new window
A comprehensive source of funding opportunities globally and identifies researcher expertise from within or outside of UNM. Must create an account while on campus, and sign into this account when accessing off campus.
Must create an account while on campus, and sign into this account when accessing off campus.

Inside Higher Education - Students, Finance & Completion

Graduate Student Grant/Fellowship Blog