American Indian Higher Education
The American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) is a 501(c)(3) educational advocacy and support organization based in Alexandria, Virginia. Founded in 1972 by six American Indian tribally controlled colleges, AIHEC has evolved into a network representing 36 Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) in the United States and one in Canada. The organization functions as a unifying force and support network for tribally controlled institutions that provide higher education opportunities grounded in local and culturally-based programming.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$32.1M
+11.1% YoY
Annual Giving
$2.1M
-29.0% YoY
Grant Count
37
+15.6% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$58K
-38.6% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
Mission Statement: AIHEC's vision is sovereign tribal nations through excellence in higher education.
AIHEC provides leadership and influences public policy on American Indian higher education issues through advocacy, research, and program initiatives. The organization's core functions include:
- Promoting and strengthening Indigenous languages, cultures, communities, lands, and tribal nations
- Providing technical assistance to member institutions and emerging tribal colleges
- Coordinating institutional data collection and analysis across the TCU network
- Addressing federal grant and program challenges
- Disseminating information on relevant legislative matters
- Fostering communities of practice to share best practices among institutions
- Supporting institutional transformation and policy adoption across member colleges
Grantmaking
AIHEC administers and coordinates funding from multiple sources for its member institutions and initiatives:
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
AIHEC serves tribal colleges and universities across the United States and Canada, with member institutions distributed nationally. The organization's advocacy and policy work operates at the federal level to influence American Indian higher education policy.
Grant Distribution by State
States
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
Fiscal Year 2024 (most recent):
- Total Revenue: $12,013,923
- Total Expenses: $11,315,278
- Total Assets: $32,140,635
- Staff: 24 employees
Financial Status: According to the September 2024 tax filing, the organization reported a significant diversion of assets and an independent audit identified a material weakness in internal controls related to financial governance.
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $32,140,635 | $28,935,465 | $27,893,635 |
| Revenue | $12,013,923 | $8,547,379 | $12,179,694 |
| Expenses | $11,315,278 | $9,910,963 | $8,018,803 |
| Qualifying Distributions | — | — | — |
| Net Investment Income | $500,156 | $818,866 | $886,817 |
| Distributable Amount | — | — | — |
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
Grant Size Distribution
114 grants across all recorded years
Open Grants
2 open opportunities from American Indian Higher Education
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
Among its reported 2024 grants, the largest include American Indian Law Cntr Inc ($1,300,000), Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Comm Coll ($78,350), University of North Dakota ($71,740).
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Aaniiih Nakoda College HARLEM, MT | Non-restricted flex funds | $9,750 |
| American Indian Law Cntr Inc ALBUQUERQUE, NM | Pass Thru Funding | $1,300,000 |
| BAY MILLS COMMUNITY COLLEGE FORT YATES, ND | Non-restricted flex funds | $19,500 |
| BLACKFEET COMMUNITY COLLEGE BROWNING, MT | Non-restricted flex funds | $19,500 |
| CANKDESKA CIKANA COMM COL FORT TOTTEN, ND | NSF TCU ADV. MANUF. NETWORK MEETING | $30,750 |
| CHIEF DULL KNIFE COLLEGE LAME DEER, MT | Non-restricted flex funds | $9,750 |
| COLL OF THE MUSCOGEE NATION OKMULGEE, OK | Non-restricted flex funds | $22,750 |
| COLLEGE OF MENOMINEE NATION KESHENA, WI | Non-restricted flex funds | $9,750 |
| Din College TSAILE, AZ | Non-restricted flex funds | $9,750 |
| Fond DU Lac Tri & Com Coll CLOQUET, MN | Non-restricted flex funds | $19,500 |
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Carrie L. Billy serves as the Principal Officer of AIHEC.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| CARRIE BILLY | President & CEO | 50 | $287,062 |
| TINA COOPER | VP OF FIN & Adm | 50 | $282,018 |
| ERICA J MOORE | Vice President for IIT | 50 | $157,844 |
| AHNIWAKE L ROSE | VP-Congressional & Federal Relation | 50 | $147,596 |
| JOHN PHILLIPS | LAND-GRANT PRG DIR | 50 | $137,224 |
| MARY DEPALMA | Program Director | 50 | $138,051 |
| ALGIRDAS S KUSLIKIS | Sr Associate S.I. | 50 | $133,593 |
| FRANK BOCCOVI | Senior Accountant | 50 | $133,671 |
| ANTHONY A QUANDER | Senior Accountant | 50 | $132,816 |
| DAVID YARLOTT JR | President/Chair | 5 | — |
| ELMER GUY | Vice CHAIR | 5 | — |
| LEANDER R MCDONALD | Secretary | 5 | — |
| JUSTIN GUILLORY | Treasurer | 5 | — |
| CYNTHIA LINDQUIST | MEMBER-AT-LARGE | 5 | — |
| SEAN CHANDLER | Board Member | 5 | — |
| DUANE BEDELL | Board Member | 5 | — |
| BRAD HALL | Board Member | 5 | — |
| EVA FLYING | Board Member | 5 | — |
| CHRIS CALDWELL | Board Member | 5 | — |
| MONTE RANDALL | Board Member | 5 | — |
| CHARLES ROESSEL | Board Member | 5 | — |
| ANITA HANSON | Board Member | 5 | — |
| HAVEN GOURNEAU | Board Member | 5 | — |
| TAMARAH PFEIFFER | Board Member | 5 | — |
| JUSTINA WILHELM | Board Member | 5 | — |
| ROBERT MARTIN | Board Member | 5 | — |
| LORI ANN SHERMAN | Board Member | 5 | — |
| RUSSELL SWAGGER | Board Member | 5 | — |
| HELEN MONTGOMERY | Board Member | 5 | — |
| MANOJ PATIL | Board Member | 5 | — |
| MICHAEL OLTROGGE | Board Member | 5 | — |
| TWYLA BAKER | Board Member | 5 | — |
| DAWN FRANK | Board Member | 5 | — |
| CRAIG SMITH | Board Member | 5 | — |
| DAN KING | Board Member | 5 | — |
| CARLA SINEWAY | Board Member | 5 | — |
| SANDRA L BOHAM | Board Member | 5 | — |
| RHONDA LABATTE | Board Member | 5 | — |
| LANE AZURE | Board Member | 5 | — |
| LAUREL VERMILLION | Board Member | 5 | — |
| MONTE MONTEITH | Board Member | 5 | — |
| CORY SANGREY-BILLY | Board Member | 5 | — |
| PAUL ROBERTSON | Board Member | 5 | — |
| DONNA BROWN | Board Member | 5 | — |
| ANNA SHEPPARD | Board Member | 5 | — |
Frequently Asked Questions
What does American Indian Higher Education fund?
**Mission Statement:** AIHEC's vision is sovereign tribal nations through excellence in higher education. AIHEC provides leadership and influences public policy on American Indian higher education issues through advocacy, research, and program initiatives. The organization's core functions include: • Promoting and strengthening Indigenous languages, cultures, communities, lands, and tribal nations • Providing technical assistance to member institutions and emerging tribal colleges • Coordinatin…
How do I apply for a grant from American Indian Higher Education?
AIHEC administers and coordinates funding from multiple sources for its member institutions and initiatives: **Mellon Foundation:** Native Language Preservation Award funding supports the establishment of a networked virtual national tribal college and universities' center of excellence on native language, and supports creation of an anthology of Siouian literature in translation. **Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation:** Intermediaries for Scale (IFS) program provides resources for institutional …
Where does American Indian Higher Education make grants?
AIHEC serves tribal colleges and universities across the United States and Canada, with member institutions distributed nationally. The organization's advocacy and policy work operates at the federal level to influence American Indian higher education policy.
What size grants does American Indian Higher Education award?
In 2024, American Indian Higher Education awarded 37 grants totaling $2.1M — an average of about $58K per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.
What is American Indian Higher Education's EIN?
American Indian Higher Education's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 84-0640326. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in American Indian Higher Education's focus areas in our free grants database
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Data last updated June 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
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