There are 34 accredited Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) in the U.S. They are not just educational institutions; they are expressions of sovereignty, cultural preservation, and a legal promise made between Tribal nations and the U.S. government. As Cheryl Crazy Bull, president of the American Indian College Fund, explains, “Tribes entered into treaties with the U.S. government in good faith and with the understanding that giving up land and its resources would ensure that the federal government would provide for the well-being, prosperity, and security of Tribes forever.” The word forever, as Crazy Bull explains, is not symbolic rhetoric. It is a binding commitment that applies today and for every generation of American Indian and Alaska Native people to come.
For lawmakers, Crazy Bull explains, this truth should be a reminder of their responsibility: “They represent a government that made legally binding promises, including the promise of providing for Indian Tribes with financial resources.” These obligations are rooted in the trust responsibility and enacted through Congressional authorization and appropriation. Funding TCUs is not a matter of political preference or budgetary convenience – it is a legal requirement, maintained in treaties, statutes such as the Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities Assistance Act of 1978, and decades of federal-tribal agreements.
In this context, the Trump administration’s proposed 90% cut to post-secondary funding under the Bureau of Indian Education is not just a budget decision; it is, according to Crazy Bull, a default on a treaty obligation. The proposal would reduce TCU funding from nearly $200 million to around $22 million. For communities where TCUs are often the only accessible higher education option, this would be devastating.
Crazy Bull is clear about the stakes: “Any cut to already underfunded institutions has an impact on access to programs and resources and fails to provide for the missions of TCUs.” Those missions are dual in nature and rooted in cultural integrity that sustains Tribal identity, and in preparing a qualified workforce for Native and rural communities. The need is very broad: from healthcare workers and teachers to natural resource technicians and electricians. Cuts would force impossible choices, asking what programs should remain when all are essential? And the damage would go beyond academic programs. TCUs also provide resources to overcome barriers such as a lack of internet access, inadequate transportation, and scarce childcare. These are supports, as Crazy Bull explains, are as vital as what happens in classrooms and labs.
Without TCUs, Native communities would lose more than degree programs. They would lose the primary pipelines for the professionals who staff clinics, manage lands and livestock, run small businesses, and sustain cultural traditions. According to Crazy Bull, “Without TCUs, we would not have the trained workforce in our Native and rural communities that we need. Without TCUs, we would be able to acquire and manage land and livestock, but not to serve as healthcare workers, technology experts, scientists, lawyers, businesspeople, and more.”
From Crazy Bull’s vantage point, the threat is immediate. While bipartisan support in the House and Senate has temporarily restored funding to 2024 levels, she warns that “TCUs are still at risk because the budget still needs to be passed by Congress and signed by the President. We still need to have our funds protected from being held back by agencies or becoming part of recission bills.” In other words, until the funds are secure, the survival of TCUs remains uncertain.
According to advocates for Tribal Colleges, what is happening now is part of a longer history of chronic underfunding of TCUs. Research from the American Indian College Fund, the American Indian Higher Education Consortium, and independent policy analysts has documented the funding gap between TCUs and other public colleges. Even when TCUs receive federal appropriations, per-student funding levels lag far behind national averages. These shortfalls limit the ability to update facilities, expand academic offerings, and recruit and retain faculty.
For students, the impact of TCU funding goes beyond tuition assistance. The majority of TCU students are first-generation college attendees. According to Crazy Bull, “They have limited knowledge about how to get into college and what to do once they are there. Many juggle multiple responsibilities such as working full-or part-time jobs, raising children, or caring for elders. TCUs meet these realities with comprehensive support: coaching, advising, financial aid counseling, childcare, housing, meals, and transportation.
Such holistic support is critical for retention and completion. National data show that Native students face disproportionate barriers in higher education, including financial hardship, geographic isolation, and cultural alienation at mainstream institutions. TCUs counter these barriers by embedding Native culture, language, and traditions into curricula and campus life. They create environments where Native students can thrive academically while staying rooted in their communities.
Making TCUs sustainable requires more than short-term funding fixes. As Crazy Bull shared, “Advocacy for inclusive practices with policy is an important part of sustainability. We need all the players in higher education – policy organizations, funders, legislators, Tribes, and institutions of higher education to be responsive and to ensure that Native people are included whenever policy is developed and enacted, whenever funding is allocated, and whenever institutions make decisions about how to improve campus climate and increase Native student enrollment.”
The American Indian College Fund’s Creating Visibility and Healthy Learning Environments for Native Americans in Higher Education report, as well as the Native Higher Education Policy convening recommendations, point to concrete next steps. These include:
- Involve Native representation in all higher education policymaking
- Increase visibility of Native students and issues within the broader higher education landscape
- Create culturally safe and inclusive learning environments
- Ensure equitable access to resources, technology, and facilities
To the larger pubic, Crazy Bull’s message is urgent: understand that “forever” was a solemn commitment. She is firm in her stance that it is not a historical artifact. Instead, it applies to the present and the future.
For lawmakers, the charge is equally clear: funding TCUs is not charity and not optional. It is the fulfillment of a legal obligation and a moral duty.
Failing to meet that obligation undermines not only educational opportunity, but also the sovereignty, economic vitality, and cultural survival of Tribal nations. Upholding it affirms the nation’s word, strengthens rural economies, and preserves the rich diversity of Native languages, histories, and traditions. From Crazy Bull’s perspective, anything less than full funding is a breach of trust. Anything more than full funding is not charity – it is justice long overdue.