The National Fund for Excellence in American Indian Education (Fund) is currently accepting applications in order to further the mission of expanding access to Native language instruction for students enrolled in Bureua of Indian Education (BIE) schools. Under its Native Language Immersion Grant program, the fund is awarding $6.5 milliion projects that instruct Native students to learn their language.
The Fund is a Congressionally chartered organization dedicated to leveraging resources to improve educational opportunities for students attending BIE schools.
In partnership with the BIE, the Fund will award between six to twelve grants to support the expansion of language immersion instruction in hopes that Native students are prepared for a healthy and thriving future grounded in a strong academic foundation and Indigenous knowledge.
The deadline is closing for this grant with applications closing on April 8, 11:59 PM EST. Any BIE-funded schools are eligible to apply. Grantees will be announced by April 29.
The grant funds are intended to be used for development of instructional materials (guides, digital resources, multimedia content), recruitment and training initiatives for educators, design and implementation of mentorship programs, and creation of summer learning and after-school opportunities. Of course, the use of funds is not limited to the above purposes.
Funding amounts will vary and can be anywhere from $500,000 to $1,000,000. Complete applications will include the project narrative and budget narrative of the applicants’ proposed language project.
BIE currently serves 46,000 students in 183 schools across 23 states. It includes day schools and boarding schools, the majority are day schools. About one-third of BIE schools are K-8, one-third are K-12, and another one-third are K-6. (2)
More Stories Like This
50 Years of Self-Determination: How a Landmark Act Empowered Tribal Sovereignty and Transformed Federal-Tribal RelationsMuscogee Nation and City of Tulsa Reach Agreement on Criminal Jurisdiction and Public Safety Collaboration
Panel on Ethical Tribal Engagement at OU Highlights Healing, Research and Sovereignty
Groundbreaking Held for Western Navajo Pipeline Phase I – LeChee Water System Improvement Project
Navajo Citizens Voice Mixed Reactions to Trump’s Coal Executive Order at Public Hearing
Help us tell the stories that could save Native languages and food traditions
At a critical moment for Indian Country, Native News Online is embarking on our most ambitious reporting project yet: "Cultivating Culture," a three-year investigation into two forces shaping Native community survival—food sovereignty and language revitalization.
The devastating impact of COVID-19 accelerated the loss of Native elders and with them, irreplaceable cultural knowledge. Yet across tribal communities, innovative leaders are fighting back, reclaiming traditional food systems and breathing new life into Native languages. These aren't just cultural preservation efforts—they're powerful pathways to community health, healing, and resilience.
Our dedicated reporting team will spend three years documenting these stories through on-the-ground reporting in 18 tribal communities, producing over 200 in-depth stories, 18 podcast episodes, and multimedia content that amplifies Indigenous voices. We'll show policymakers, funders, and allies how cultural restoration directly impacts physical and mental wellness while celebrating successful models of sovereignty and self-determination.
This isn't corporate media parachuting into Indian Country for a quick story. This is sustained, relationship-based journalism by Native reporters who understand these communities. It's "Warrior Journalism"—fearless reporting that serves the 5.5 million readers who depend on us for news that mainstream media often ignores.
We need your help right now. While we've secured partial funding, we're still $450,000 short of our three-year budget. Our immediate goal is $25,000 this month to keep this critical work moving forward—funding reporter salaries, travel to remote communities, photography, and the deep reporting these stories deserve.
Every dollar directly supports Indigenous journalists telling Indigenous stories. Whether it's $5 or $50, your contribution ensures these vital narratives of resilience, innovation, and hope don't disappear into silence.
The stakes couldn't be higher. Native languages are being lost at an alarming rate. Food insecurity plagues many tribal communities. But solutions are emerging, and these stories need to be told.
Support independent Native journalism. Fund the stories that matter.
Levi Rickert (Potawatomi), Editor & Publisher
