The American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) is organized and dedicated to the growth and development of all American Indian Higher Education Institutions through the following purposes:
The American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) was founded October, 1972 by six tribally-controlled community colleges with a view toward mobilizing a concerted effort for the developmental problems common to them all. Today, the consortium is a cooperatively sponsored effort on the part of 30 member institutions in The United States and Canada to provide a direct mechanism for facilitating access to resources needed for their continued development.
Located on or near Indian reservations across the nation, the tribal colleges serve over 20,000 Indian students with vocational, technical, two-year, four-year, and now, graduate programs. AIHEC consists of 28 tribally-controlled postsecondary institutions and two Department of The Interior/BIA owned and operated postsecondary institutions.
AIHEC is determined to ensure a bright, impelling future for American Indian peoples through higher education.
The American Indian College Fund (AICF) was launched in 1989 to raise funds from the private sector to support 29 tribal colleges in the United States. All administrative costs of the College Fund are underwritten by foundation grants. Therefore, all gifts from individuals go directly to the colleges for scholarships and other needs. Furthermore, the College Fund seeks to raise not only money, but awareness of the success of tribally controlled higher education. A nationwide advertising campaign, developed by the advertising firm Wieden and Kennedy (famous for the NIKE ads) and funded by the US West Foundation, spread the word about tribal colleges to the American public.