News Release
Association on American Indian Affairs
The Association on American Indian Affairs (the Association) has been providing scholarships to Native students for undergraduate and graduate degree programs for 76 years. That is the longest serving scholarship program to Native students! Students chosen for this long-standing and prestigious scholarship have demonstrated their connection to their Native nations and will be utilizing their degrees to serve Native Country.
The Association on American Indian Affairs was formed in 1922 to change the destructive path of federal policy from assimilation, termination and allotment, to sovereignty, self-determination and self-sufficiency. Although the Association faced hardships during the Great Depression in the 1930s, it emerged with renewed purpose and new education initiatives including scholarships.
In February 1947, the Association partnered with Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York to offer the first four-year scholarship which covered full tuition and housing for Florence Ivy Begay, a citizen of the Navajo Nation. In 1948, the Association began the process of formally organizing its scholarship program by undertaking a survey to better understand the amount and the scope of the opportunities that were already open to Native students for college, technical and professional training.
Today, the Association’s scholarships provide $1,000 per semester until the student graduates, if they maintain a 2.5 GPA and attend full-time. Native students can apply for the Association’s scholarships through May 31, 2023. These scholarships will be awarded for the fall 2023 and spring 2024 school year.
“There is still work to do to ensure that Native students receive the equity in education that they deserve,” said Shannon O’Loughlin, a citizen of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, and the CEO & Attorney for the Association. “As we look ahead to serving Indian Country for next 100 years, we know we must continue to support Native students to create a world where diverse Native American cultures and values are truly lived, protected, and respected.”
Since 2015, the Association has awarded over 324 scholarships to Native undergraduate and graduate students. Scholarships are funded by an endowment from donors who gifted their legacies for the purpose of Native education: the Elizabeth and Sherman Ascher Memorial Scholarship, the Homborg Scholarship and the Mary Hemenway Memorial Funds and donors who value equitable access to higher education.
The Association partners with the American Indian College Fund who helps to administer the Association’s longstanding scholarships. Founded by friends of the Association in 1989, the American Indian College Fund provides Native scholarships and supports Native higher education.
For more information about the Association’s scholarship program, how to apply and how to donate, visit Indian-Affairs.org.
About Association on American Indian Affairs
The Association on American Indian Affairs is the oldest non-profit serving Indian Country protecting sovereignty, preserving culture, educating youth and building capacity. The Association was formed in 1922 to change the destructive path of federal policy from assimilation, termination and allotment, to sovereignty, self-determination and self-sufficiency. Throughout its 100-year history, the association has provided national advocacy on watershed issues that support sovereignty and culture, while working at a grassroots level with Native nations to support the implementation of programs that support Native peoples.
