The American Indian College Fund will award scholarships to American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) women over the next four years thanks to a Clare Boothe Luce Program grant of $300,000. In addition to supporting their studies in the hard sciences, the new scholarship program will also prepare these scholars to succeed beyond graduation by providing access to mentorships, internships, leadership development, and professional development opportunities.

Increasing access to women in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields is vital for America to respond to today’s economic, infrastructure, and environmental challenges. The American Indian College Fund, with the support of a four-year, $300,000 grant from the Clare Boothe Luce Program at the Henry Luce Foundation, will continue to help grow the number of Native American women—a group with the lowest representation in the STEM fields—by earning a college degree to forge their careers.

The American Indian College Fund (the College Fund) has more than 30 years of experience administering successful scholarship programs designed to support the access, retention, graduation, and workforce readiness of American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) scholars. The College Fund’s 2014-2018 Clare Boothe Luce Women’s STEM Tribal College Scholarship Program was one of its most successful to date. The program provided scholarships and wraparound services to participating students, ensuring a graduation rate of 100%.

The College Fund and Clare Boothe Luce Program will continue its success in increasing Native women studying and working in the STEM fields through a new, four-year, $300,000 scholarship program. The College Fund will award $75,000 to four outstanding AIAN women seeking a bachelor’s degree in the hard sciences at four-year granting tribal colleges and university (TCU). Students will receive $18,750 disbursed per year, based on the average cost of attendance at a four-year TCU.

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