American Indian College Fund
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
THE AMERICAN INDIAN COLLEGE FUND INVESTS IN NATIVE STUDENTS AND TRIBAL COLLEGE EDUCATION TO TRANSFORM LIVES AND COMMUNITIES.
- Income
- $66.5 million
- Spending
- $62.8 million
- Spent on programs
- 76%
- Reserves
- 11.5 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 90%
- Employees
- 96
- Volunteers
- 30
- Highest pay
- $429,924, president/chief executive officer
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Strong: 93 out of 100. Higher than 88% of charities in its peer group (education, $10m to $100m).
Reserves
28 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 11.5 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 2% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 5% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 20% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1576% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 20 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 50% of charities in its peer group (education, $10m to $100m).
Independent board
25 of 2516 of 17 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
8 of 8Has a written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
7 of 7Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
10 of 10Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Pay set independently
5 of 5Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.
Independent check of accounts
15 of 15Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Impact evidence
Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.
Programs described in its return (2)
- $44.5 million spent. THE AMERICAN INDIAN COLLEGE FUND PROVIDED SCHOLARSHIPS TO OVER 6.000 AMERICAN INDIAN STUDENTS DURING THE FISCAL YEAR. IN ADDITION, STUDENTS WERE PROVIDED WITH COACHING, INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES, PROFESSIONAL MENTORS, LEADERSHIP TRAINING, MENTAL WELLNESS SUPPORT, AND OTHER STUDENT SUCCESS SERVICES LEADING TO EMPLOYABLE GRADUATES. HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT SERVICES WERE ALSO SUPPORTED WITH COLLEGE SELECTION ADVISING, COLLEGE APPLICATION SUPPORT AND FINANCIAL AID COACHING. IN ADDITION, FINANCIAL RESOURCES WERE PROVIDED TO 34 TRIBAL COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES TO SUPPORT FACULTY DEVELOPMENT, INFRASTRUCTURE, CULTURE, ARTS, AND LANGUAGE PRESERVATION ACTIVITIES, EQUIPMENT FOR MATH AND SCIENCE, NEW CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT, CAREER SERVICES DEVELOPMENT AND ENHANCING OTHER STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES.
- $3.2 million spent. THE AMERICAN INDIAN COLLEGE FUND UTILIZES A PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT CAMPAIGN TO INFORM THE PUBLIC ABOUT THE UNIQUE, COMMUNITY-BASED, AND ACCREDITED TRIBAL COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES (TCUS) AND HOW THEY ARE SUCCESSFULLY CHANGING THE LIVES OF AMERICAN INDIANS. IN ADDITION, THESE CAMPAIGNS SUPPORT NATIVE AMERICAN VISIBILITY AND BREAKDOWN STEREOTYPES. EARNED MEDIA VIA ARTICLES AND INTERVIEWS, ALONG WITH SOCIAL MEDIA, WERE ALSO UTILIZED TO ENHANCE AWARENESS. TCUS ARE OFTEN THE BEST OPTIONS FOR AMERICAN INDIANS TO ATTEND AND SUCCEED IN HIGHER EDUCATION. THE AMERICAN INDIAN COLLEGE FUND GARNERED OVER $1.1 MILLION IN DONATED ADVERTISING DURING THE FISCAL YEAR TO ENHANCE PUBLIC AWARENESS. AMERICAN INDIANS ARE A CRITICAL TARGET AUDIENCE FOR AWARENESS ACTIVITIES TO ENCOURAGE THEM TO FURTHER THEIR EDUCATION AND CONSIDER TCUS AS VIABLE OPTIONS. TCUS ARE ALSO GARNERING INTEREST FROM PRIVATE AND PUBLIC ENTITIES AS INSTITUTIONS PRODUCING IMPORTANT RESEARCH.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.
Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.
Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.
Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 30, 2026.
Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.
On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.
Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 10, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending June 2025.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since February 1989.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.
Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.
Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated October 7, 2026.
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