About the Fund
The National Fund for Excellence in American Indian Education (also referred to as "The Fund") is a Congressionally chartered organization dedicated to leveraging resources to improve educational opportunities for students attending Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) schools across the United States. The Fund aims to support community-led efforts that foster students' Native language and culture, leading to academic and life success.
Our Mission:
The Fund garners resources to support community-led efforts to create environments that foster students’ Native language and culture and lead to academic and life success.
Reimagine the current system and garner resources to recreate a learning ecosystem through an Indigenous lens to create environments that foster students’ Native language and culture and lead to academic success, holistic wellbeing, and engaged tribal citizens.
Our Vision:
All Native American students are fluent in their Native language and prepared for a healthy and thriving future grounded in a strong and adaptable academic foundation and Indigenous knowledge.
Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) Schools and Demographics
In the 2019-2020 school year, the majority of the BIE schools (66%) are located in three states, including Arizona, New Mexico, and South Dakota. (1)
BIE currently serves 46,000 students in 183 schools across 23 states. It includes day schools and boarding schools - the majority of which are day schools. About one-third of BIE schools are K-8, one-third are K-12, and another one-third are K-6. (2)
Approximately 3,400 teachers, professional staff, principals, and other school administrators work in BIE-operated schools. (3)
Sources: 1) BIE Schools/Dorms and Students: SY 2016-2017 to SY 2018-2019; 2) Number of BIE-Funded Schools and Dorms: FY20; 3) Tony Dearman, Examining the Policies and Priorities of the Bureau of Indian Education, U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education and Labor - Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education and the Committee on Natural Resources - Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples of the United States, June 28, 2022.
