AIGC TO LAUNCH $1M SCHOLARSHIP INITIATIVE
November is Native American Heritage Month and the American Indian Graduate Center is stepping up in a big way.
The institution is kicking off its Empowering Scholars Initiative, which will increase the organization’s reach as it transforms the educational journeys of Native scholars.
The $1 million scholarship launch is set for Sunday, Nov. 1, and is made possible by a donation from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott.
The AIGC now has the ability to fund first- and secondgeneration decedents, part-time students, Ph.D. candidates pursuing research opportunities and scholars taking graduate entrance exams for the first time in its
50-year history.
The funding will also allow the organization to continue providing COVID-19 relief funding to Native students across the United States.
“The Empowering Scholars Initiative is a direct response to the needs expressed by our students. We are particularly excited to fund Ph.D. research and graduate school testing fees, as over 45% of our scholars surveyed annually request these services” said Angelique
Albert (Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes), AIGC executive director. “The impacts of COVID-19 have created additional challenges for our scholars to stay in college and exacerbated the need for scholarships. We have seen a significant increase (15%) in the number of requests for part-time funding due to the impacts of the pandemic. We also continue to address emergency needs of our scholars.
“Since the start of the pandemic, we have supported 14% of our scholars with funding for basic necessities like food and shelter so they could continue on their educational path. These are the realities of what Native students are facing right now and it is our responsibility to ensure we are working to meet these needs. We are committed to providing all the necessary tools for Native students to be successful in college and beyond.”
Since its inception, the center has been able to provide scholarships to more than 16,000.
Yet, due to a lack of available funding, the organization is unable to fund 82% of the students that apply for scholarships annually.
“With 50 years of data and informed best practices, American Indian Graduate Center has the expertise to identify the most critical needs of our scholars and implement effective solutions — and that is exactly what we’ve done in the Empowering Scholars Initiative,” Albert said. “We have been given the opportunity to create programming that has a generational impact on Indian Country and we intend to empower as many scholars as possible.”
The $1 million initiative will be divided into four categories: Direct Scholarships, Student Relief Scholarships, Community Impact Research Scholarships and American Indian Graduate Center Access Scholarships.
Students interested in applying for scholarships are invited to visit aigcs.org/ scholarships-fellowships/ or contact fellowships@aigcs.org.