FY2024 Sources of Federal Funding for Tribal Colleges and Universities

Summary

Information as of September 17, 2025. Prepared by Cassandria Dortch, Specialist in Education Policy; Eleni G. Bickell, Analyst in

Agricultural Policy; Lisa Benson, Specialist in Agricultural Policy; and Jamie Bush, Visual Information Specialist. For more information,

see CRS Report R43237, Programs for Minority-Serving Institutions Under the Higher Education Act; CRS In Focus IF12009, 1994 Land-Grant

Universities: Background and Selected Issues; and CRS Report R48462, Rural Community Facilities: A Guide to Programs.

Sources: Congressional budget justifications and other agency documents.

Notes: ACF is the Administration for Children and Families. BIE is the Bureau of Indian Education. EDU is the Directorate for Science, Technology, Engineering,

and Math (STEM) Education. FDL is Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College. IAIA is Institute of American Indian Arts. Indian A-airs is the Office of the

Assistant Secretary for Indian A-airs. NIFA is the National Institute of Food and Agriculture. OCTAE is the Office of Career and Technical Education. OHS is the

Office of Head Start. OPE is the Office of Postsecondary Education. RHS is the Rural Housing Service. TCCU is Tribally controlled college or university. TCU is

Tribal college or university.

Sources of Federal Funding for

Tribal Colleges and Universities

There are 35 federally funded TCUs, and all have been designated as 1994 land-grant institutions under the Equity in Educational

Land-Grant Status Act of 1994 (7U.S.C. §301 note). The federal government has designated certain colleges and universities as

land-grant institutions to promote and fund their focus on the agricultural and mechanical arts. TCUs can be grouped into the

following categories:

While TCUs receive additional federal funding not shown here, the programs below each provided $4 million or more in funding to

TCUs in FY2024, for a total of $319 million. Each entry notes the administering agency and eligible TCU types.

$89

$30

$16

$9

$80

$12

$20

$13

$8

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Tribal Colleges and Universities

Bureau of Indian Education (BIE)

Haskell Indian Nations University and

Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute (BIE)

Tribal Colleges Facilities Improvement

and Repair (Indian A-airs and BIE)

Tribal Technical Colleges (BIE)

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

American Indian Tribally Controlled

Colleges and Universities (OPE)

Tribally Controlled Postsecondary Career and

Technical Institutions (OCTAE)

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

Tribal Colleges and Universities Program (EDU)

INSTITUTE OF AMERICAN INDIAN ARTS

IAIA

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH

AND HUMAN SERVICES

Tribal Colleges and Universities

Head Start Partnership Program (ACF, OHS)

TCCUS

TECH

TCCUS BIE FDL IAIA

Tribal Colleges Extension (NIFA) $11

Tribal Colleges Educational Equity Grants (NIFA) $7

Tribal Colleges Endowment Fund (NIFA) $12

Federally Recognized Tribes Extension (NIFA) $4

$ in millions

The federal government has a trust responsibility to federally recognized Tribes and

has committed to a policy supporting Tribal self-determination. One way this

responsibility and policy is carried out is through federal support for Tribal colleges

and universities (TCUs).

Tribally controlled colleges and universities (TCCUs) – 31 institutions that are formally controlled, or have

been formally sanctioned, or chartered, by the governing body of a Tribe or Tribes, including 2 designated as

Tribal technical colleges (Tech TCCUs);

Federal institutions – 2 institutions operated by the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) for the postsecondary

education of Tribal members; and

Other institutions – 2 other institutions: Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College (FDL), which is operated

through a Tribal-state partnership, and the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA), which is a federally

chartered entity for the study of Indian art and culture.

Institute of

American Indian

Arts (IAIA)

29 TCCUs 2 Technical

TCCUs (Tech TCCUs)

2 Federal

Institutions (BIE)

Fond du Lac Tribal

and Community

College (FDL)

Community Facilities Tribal College Initiative (RHS) $8

FY2024