Scholarship

Higher Education Grants

Eligibility criteria for Higher ED grants
Higher ED Grant application
Financial aid info
Researching American Indian/Alaska Native ancestry
Genealogical research info
Graduate Fellowship Grants
American Indian Summer Law Program
Tribal Colleges & Universities

What criteria must a student meet to be eligible for a Higher ED Grant?

A student must:

- Be a member of, or at least one-quarter degree Indian blood descendent of a member of an American Indian tribe who are eligible for the special programs and services provided by the United States through the Bureau of Indian Affairs to Indians because of their status as Indians.

- Be accepted for admission to a nationally accredited institution of higher education that provides a course of study conferring the Associate of Arts or Bachelor’s degree.

- Demonstrate financial need as determined by the financial aid officer of the post-secondary institution.

Where can a student find a Higher ED grant application?

The grant application is available from the education office of the Tribe in which you are affiliated or possess membership. As the majority of federally recognized tribes are administering the grant program for their tribal members, call your tribe first. A Tribal Directory is located on Department of Interior’s Web site. If your tribe is not administering the grant program they can direct you to the nearest Office of Indian Education Programs Education Line Officer for the application (OMB No. 1076-0101) with instructions for completing and returning the application. While you are waiting for your application and all available financial aid information from the college to be sent to you, inform the financial aid officer that you are a tribal member and will be submitting the higher education grant application along with other financial aid applications. Many colleges know about the Bureau’s grant program and can refer you to a knowledgeable counselor. However, there are still quite a few institutions that have no idea the availability of grants specific for American Indian/Alaska Natives. So, do not assume that the college will forward your paperwork.

Financing college is a little like the game of baseball; you have to take your foot off first base before you are ever going to get to "second". Unfortunately since the Bureau of Indian Affairs may not meet all of your "unmet need" for college expenses you have to make that commitment to "second base" by moving on opportunities offered in the world of supplemental financial aid resources for college.

Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA): www.fafsa.ed.gov The online version lets you apply for student financial aid using the Internet.

Federal School Codes www.ed.gov/offices/OSFAP/Students/apply.html The site lists codes that are used to complete the FAFSA.

Help in Completing the FAFSA: www.ed.gov/prog_info/SFA/FAFSA

The Student Guide: www.ed.gov/prog_info/SFA/StudentGuide

College Opportunities On-line (COOL database): http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cool/

Where can a student find additional info about financial aid?
Federal Student Aid for College or Career School - The U.S. Department of Education provides grants, loans, and work-study opportunities to eligible students attending participating colleges or career schools. The Department is the source of nearly 70 percent of all student aid awarded in the U.S. each year. The vast majority of the Department's aid is not based on academic merit. For further information and an online application, visit the Department's Web site at www.studentaid.ed.gov. Alternatively, you may call the Federal Student Aid Information Center toll free: 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243). TTY for the hearing-impaired is 1-800-730-8913.

College Early (www.ed.gov/thinkcollegeearly) in partnership with the Coalition of America’s Colleges & Universities, College is Possible (www.CollegeIsPossible.org) have terrific information available on the Web.

College Board On-line (www.collegeboard.org). This site has information about preparing for college, getting ready for tests, choosing a college and paying for college. The College Board’s scholarship search will help in finding scholarship, loans, internships and other financial aid programs from non-college sources that match your education level, talents and background, with an interactive scholarship search program.

College Aid Sources for Higher Education (CASHE), (www.cashe.com or www.salliemae.com) is a national financial aid resource database that helps students and parents find private funds to attend college. It is one of the industry’s largest and most comprehensive resources, including thousands of individual awards from all types of sponsors for Freshman thru Doctorate students.

Educaid (www.educaid.com), a division of The Money Store, is one of the top ten education lenders in the U.S. that offers federal and private loans exclusively for education. The toll free telephone number is 1-800-Educaid.

SallieMae (http://salliemae.com) is one of the largest financial aid institutions that offers information and hands on interaction with calculators, publications, financial aid 101, and scholarship services.

fastweb.com (http://fastweb.com) is the Internet’s largest free scholarship search. Your personalized profile will match your specific skills, abilities and interest to fastWEB’s database of over 400,000 scholarships. Just complete six simple steps to get immediate results on line.

FinAid (www.finaid.org) is a free, comprehensive independent and objective guide to student financial aid.

Education & Career Center (www.petersons.com) is a very comprehensive and heavily traveled resource. In their thousands of pages you will find information about colleges and universities, professional degree programs, study abroad and distance learning opportunities, executive management programs, financial aid, internships, summer programs, career guidance and more.

Need A Lift? A very helpful publication by the American Legion. To obtain a copy, write to The American Legion, National Headquarters, P.O. Box 1055, Indianapolis, IN 46206, or call (317) 630-1200.

How does a student research their American Indian/Alaska Native ancestry?

Thousands of people throughout the United States have some degree of American Indian/Alaska Native blood. However, unless such an individual has at least one parent legally entitled to membership in a federally recognized Indian tribe, it is improbable that they can qualify for special federal services available to Indians or share in assets owned by an Indian tribe. The burden of proof of Indian ancestry rests with the individual claiming possession of Indian blood.

Many people are descended from eastern tribes that disbanded before the present Government of the United States came into being in 1789. As a result, there are no existing Indian groups with which these individuals can affiliate. Others, descended from western tribes, but cannot substantiate their claim to membership in an Indian tribe due to lack of early family records.

Contrary to popular belief, Indians do not receive payments from the federal government simply because they have Indian blood. Funds distributed to a person of Indian descent may represent income from his/her own property collected for him/her by an agent of the United States government. Other disbursements to individuals may represent compensation for lands taken in connection with governmental projects, comparable to payments made to non-Indians for the acquisition of land for governmental purposes. Some Indian tribes receive income from the utilization of tribal timber and other reservation resources, a percentage of which may be distributed as per capita among the tribe’s members. Individual tribal members also share in the money paid to the tribes by the federal government in fulfillment of treaty obligations. Money available for payments belongs either to the tribe or to an individual and is held in trust by the federal government. In this event, the federal government issues checks in making payment to individuals or to the tribes.

To be eligible to receive payment from tribal funds, a person, in addition to possessing Indian blood must be a recognized member of the Indian tribe whose money is being distributed. Generally, responsibility for establishing this membership lies with the tribe and the individual. Indian tribes establish either own enrollment criteria.

Some early records or consensus of Indian bands, tribes, or groups are on file at the National Archives and Records Service, Natural Resources Branch, Civil Archives Division (Eighth and Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20408). These records, identified by tribes, are dated chiefly from 1830 to 1940. To search records, the Archivist must be given the name of the Indian in question (preferably both his English and his Indian name), his date of birth, and the name of his tribe. Names of his parents and grandparents should also be given. If ancestry is unknown, there are private research sources (click "Hiring A Researcher") that are available. The credibility of the research service should be established before securing the service by contacting local offices of the Better Business Bureau.

The Central Office of the Bureau of Indian Affairs does not maintain comprehensive lists of persons possessing Indian blood or enrollment data of every federally recognized Indian tribe. However, copies of census and membership rolls may be on file in the Bureau’s field offices. A list of these offices can be obtained from the directory "Area Offices." The Area Office list identifies the states over which a particular Area Office has jurisdiction.

If proof of membership in a particular tribe is desired, inquiry should be made to that particular tribe. The Bureau of Indian Affairs publishes a list of federally recognized Indian tribes in the Federal Register. The latest publication was on October 23, 1997, (60 C.F.R. 55270), which can be obtained from most libraries, or accessed on the Web at www.doi.gov/bia/tribes/entry.html, under the heading "Federally Recognized Native American Tribes, 10/23/97".

What are the steps for conducting a genealogical research effort?

HOW TO BEGIN. Unless you are a king or a president or other notable dignitary, finding your ancestors and making sure a "family tree" is kept for future generations may be up to you. The federal government does not do family research, nor does its National Archives collect or preserve family trees. Books on family history and genealogy are collected, complied, and published by private individuals who do so because they are interested descendants.

As the depository of the federal government’s records deemed of permanent value for historical purposes, the National Archives houses many records that can be helpful to persons who wish to trace their ancestry. The search however cannot be completed at the National Archives alone. Many other depositories should be consulted.

Following are suggestions about things to do and ways to go about getting a start at finding your ancestors:

START WITH YOURSELF. You are the beginning "twig" on the vast family tree. Start with yourself, the known, and work toward the unknown. You should find out all the vital information you can about your parents, write it down, then find out about your grandparents, great-grandparents, etc.

NAMES, DATES, PLACES, RELATIONSHIPS. Be concerned with pulling from the many and varied documents of recorded history’s four key items. These are the tools of the family researcher. People can be identified in records by their names, the date of events in their lives, the places they lived, and the relationships to others either stated or implied in the records.

HOME SOURCES. The first place begins at home. You can find much information in family bibles, newspaper clippings, military certificates, birth and death certificates, marriage licenses, diaries, letters, scrapbooks, backs of pictures, baby books, etc.

RELATIVES AS SOURCE. Visit or write those in your family who may have information, particularly older relatives. More often than not others before you have gathered data about the families in which you are interested. You should write a letter, make a personal visit, or conduct a telephone survey to find out about such persons and what information is already collected.

FINDING DISTANT RELATIVES. Before launching your research program in libraries and archives, search for distant relatives who may have already preformed this search. Advertise in the local genealogical bulletins where your ancestors lived.

BIRTH, MARRIAGE AND DEATH RECORDS. Some states began to keep records of birth and death earlier, but for most of the United States, birth and death registration became a requirement around the turn of the century, about 1890-1915. Before that time these events will be found recorded generally in church records and family bibles. Marriages will be found recorded in most counties, dating often as early as the establishment of the county.

CHURCH RECORDS. A few churches have records of important events in the lives of members buy many do not. Investigate the possibility of finding genealogical data in the records of the church in which your ancestor belonged.

DEEDS AND WILLS. Records of property acquisition and disposition can be good sources of genealogical data. Such records are normally in the county courthouses. Often the earliest county records or copies of them are also available in state archives.

FEDERAL RECORDS. National Archives and Records Service in Washington, D.C., has records of use in genealogical research. The federal census made every ten years since 1790, is a good source. The census records are also available on microfilm in the National Archives regional branches located in 11 metropolitan areas throughout the country. The National Archives also has military service and related records, passenger arrival records, and others.

LIBRARIES, SOCIETIES, ARCHIVES. Visit the state, regional, local institutions in your area. Libraries, historical and genealogical societies, and archival depositories are all good sources for genealogical and family history data.

HIRING A RESEARCHER. If you wish to hire a researcher, write to the following organization that will provide you a list: Board for Certification of Genealogists, P.O. Box 14291, Washington, D.C. 20044.

How does a student apply for Graduate Fellowship Grants?

Graduate Fellowship Grants are provided to supplement financial assistance to eligible American Indian/ Alaska Native students pursuing a post-baccalaureate degree. OIEP contracts with the American Indian Graduate Center (AIGC), located in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Graduate Fellowship grants are available to individuals who are:

1. Pursuing a master’s or doctorate degree as a full time student at an accredited graduate school in the U.S.;
2. Able to demonstrate financial need; and
3. An enrolled member of a federally recognized American Indian tribe or Alaskan Native group, or possess one fourth degree federally recognized Indian blood

Application requirements and time frames for submitting an application are available with the AIGC by calling (505) 881-4584, writing to 4520 Montgomery Blvd., N.E., Suite 1-B, Albuquerque, NM 87109, or visiting their web site at www.aigc.com

Where can a student apply for assistance in preparing for law school?

The American Indian Summer Law Program is available to assist students in preparing for the rigors of law school. The OIEP contracts for this program through the American Indian Law Center, Inc., located on the campus of the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. The eight-week summer institute emphasizes the development of skills necessary for success in study habits, legal research and legal writing. This program is primarily for those students who have been accepted into an accredited law school. For additional information about the admissions process contact the Center at the following address:

American Indian Law Center, Inc.
1117 Stanford, NE
Albuquerque, NM 87196
(505) 277-5462
http://lawschool.unm.edu/AILC/index.htm

Where can a student find info about tribal colleges and universities?

Tribal Colleges & Universities are chartered by tribal governing bodies and governed by local boards of regents. The colleges are primarily located on remote reservations and serve American Indian communities with very limited access to other postsecondary institutions. They address the needs of some of the most economically challenged regions in this country. Predominately two-year institutions, tribal colleges are successfully overcoming longstanding barriers to Indian highereducation. They are unparalleled in their ability to provide the knowledge and skills students need to transfer to four-year colleges and universities and to become successfully employed. Tribal Colleges comply with strict adherence to standards of mainstream accreditation associations. Several colleges, including the Turtle Mountain Community College and Fond du Lac Tribal & Community College, have reached the highest standards set by national accrediting agencies which enable them to be placed on a ten-year cycle for accreditation.

Tribal colleges and universities also serve as community centers, libraries and tribal archival career centers, economic development centers, public meeting places, child-care centers and caretakers of tribal languages and cultures. Tribal college faculties and administrators serve as mentors and community role models. These institutions recognize the importance of providing training-partnership opportunities for students in a community setting through business and industry.

Additional information is posted online (http://www.aihec.org) at The American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) Web site. Founded in 1972 by six tribally controlled community colleges to mobilize a concerted effort to deal with common challenges, AIHEC is now a cooperatively sponsored effort on the part of 33 member institutions in the United States and Canada.