Finding Grants for the Native Americans
While the Pell Grant is addressed to a very large segment of undergraduates, there are other methods of getting money to pay for tuition that is addressed to particular types of students. A good example is the Woman’s Independence Scholarship program sponsored by the Sunshine Lady Foundation that offers help to women who have been the victims of domestic violence and developed emotional issues.
Along the same lines is the Raise the Nation organization which helps out single mothers, or The American Association of University Women, that offers tuition money, especially to women who are a part of minorities. Like the aforementioned categories, Native Americans who want to go through college did not get left behind and also have ways to receive financial aid. Actually there is a wide range of options available for this particular minority, some given by private institutions, others by specific tribes and of course the federal ones. Most of these are given based on the need of every student.
College money from private societies
Over time, several groups came into existence to help American Indians and the process of applying for a grant usually only requires the student to contact the organization.
One of the well known organizations of this type is the Daughters of the American Revolution which provides free tuition money for both female and male Native Americans alike. The American Indian Scholarship is just one of their programs that helps Native Americans of any tribe, age or state pursued the studies of technical schools, colleges or universities at graduate and undergraduate levels alike. This grant can be awarded only one time, and its value is $1000, with financially challenged students of American Indian heritage being preferred.
Native American students who seek to pursue a career in computer science can contact the American Indian Science and Engineering Society. Here they can receive grants and scholarships of up to four thousand dollars. The A. T. Anderson Scholarship Program offers $ 1,000 to American Indian students studying in the field listed above. The AISES Environmental Protection Agency Scholarship is also provided by this institution and sponsors twenty-seven Students with an interest for chemical engineering, medicine, biology, chemistry or commercial management.
Graduate and undergraduate students of Baptist confession can benefit from a range of $1,000 to $2,000 for each year offered by the American Baptist Financial Aid Program. Likewise, the Presbyterian Church USA awards $1500 to American Indian students without any restriction related to their field of study. Students who struggle with financial needs can seek help from the Adolf Van Pelt Foundation which offers $500 to $1500 to American Indians with low income.
Native American students who would like to work with people and want to get involved in the fields of a social service, social work or education can refer to The Continental Society Daughters of Indian Wars. Here, college juniors or seniors with good academic results can benefit from an $1,000 award annually.
Financial aid granted by the American Indian Tribes.
American Indians who are part of a certain tribe are entitled to receive money for tuition from the tribe itself in order to pursue higher education. The Menominee Indian Tribe Adult Vocational Training Program can sponsor up to 70 undergraduates interested in technical careers with sums ranging from $100 up to $2200. The same tribe also offers grants for 136 of their members providing a financial aid of $100 up to $1100 annually.
Backfeet Nation Higher Education Grant grants a $3500 sponsorship per annum to 140 students. The Hopi Tribe is one that looks out for its interests and carefully plans their financial aid scheme in ways that would serve the tribes future best. Members who want to get involved in the fields of engineering, medicine, education, business and law are granted scholarships in hopes that their newly acquired skills will serve the tribe’s interests in the future.
The Northern Arapaho Tribal Scholarship is stricter when it comes to deciding which students are eligible. In order to receive it, they must live in Wyoming and demonstrate they deserve it but also have a low income and are members of the tribe. Same goes for the Shoshone Tribal Scholarship.
Grants accessible for specific colleges
This particular kind of grants is usually approved at the university’s economic aid bureau. The Anne Trevarthen Memorial Scholarship is offered only to students planning on starting their higher education at the College of William and Mary. Applicants don’t need to prove their native American roots but are required to exhibit some knowledge and deep connection to this culture. The Kathleen Robbie Memorial Scholarship is another way of benefiting from free tuition funds without any restraint when it comes to the field of expertise chosen, thanks to Huron College.
State dependent Grants
A large number of states offer grants for American Indian students. It is also important to remember that even if a certain state doesn’t offer sponsorship for Native Americans they can still receive tuition money from a program addressed to minorities. For example, the Kansas Ethnic Minority Scholarship was developed with the purpose to help minority high school seniors who want to attend college and this covers the Native American minority as well.
Applicants still need to prove they are struggling financially and show good academic results. In Alabama, students can apply for the Indian Affairs Commission Scholarship, but only if they are members of the seven tribes living in the state. These two examples are just a short sample of all the possible ways to receive state grants. State dependent financial aid is actually available in a large number of states.
Federal financial sponsorships
A large part of the federal scholarships for these minority students is handled by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Federal grants might spark the interest of Native American students, although there is no restriction for other undergraduates to apply. Of course the most common is the Pell Grant, but another good example is the FSEOG that was developed with the purpose of helping students who already received the Pell Grant but need more money.
Other two good examples of federal financial aid are the Academic Competitiveness Grant and the National Smart Grant. These two were designed for students who already received the Pell Grant but has also selected mathematics as his field of expertise and is set on excelling at it. Still, the total sum of money awarded cannot be higher than the cost of attendance.
Applying for Native American Grants
If seeking aid in the form of grants provided by the tribes, the process of applying is usually handled by the tribal offices so that should be the first place where students should look for information. For state and federal grants, undergraduates will have to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid ( FAFSA). The process of applying should be completed hastily at the start of the year, or the students may run the risk of finding out that the tuition funds have been depleted, or just that the deadline has passed.
