Education

Only 53% of Native students in Bureau of Indian Education schools graduate.

Education is one of the most important cornerstones of self-sufficiency and quality of life. It is also a crucial factor in addressing the long-term poverty and other challenges on the reservations we serve. PWNA helps our partner schools and colleges motivate students and retention. Our K-12 education services assist Native American students from pre-kindergarten to high school.

PWNA furnishes school supplies for about 15,000 K-12 students annually.

We also support literacy for Native youth, providing supplies and incentives to encourage parent-child reading time. By addressing both immediate and long-term educational needs, we build on today and tomorrow.

Only 16% of Native Americans hold a college degree, yet 40% of Whites do.

Many Native students believe college is not an option for them and, contrary to public perception, college is not free for Native Americans. PWNA’s Higher Education Services increase college access and retention for Native American students.

Our Higher Education services aid up to 300 Native students annually.

PWNA awards scholarships for Native undergraduate and graduate students. We focus on applicants who are most often in the middle range of the academic ranking but who have serious drive and demonstrated the ability to overcome obstacles. We also:

award vocational scholarships when funding permits
provide laptops to first-year students in need
provide care packs and mentoring to scholarship recipients
provide holiday gifts to the children and siblings of scholars

Call 214-217-2600, or email:
Jasey Jones, Director of Mission Advancement, jjones@nativepartnership.org
Shane Smith, Major Gift Officer, ssmith@nativepartnership.org

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Downloads:

Overcoming Education Challenges for Native Students

2025-2026 scholarship application is open!

Applicant Eligibility:

• Native American, Alaska Native, or Native Hawaiian (student or one parent must be enrolled and have documentation).

• Attending an accredited 2 or 4-year college/university within the United States. Fully online schools and summer courses do not qualify.

• Undergraduates must be enrolled as a full-time student. Graduate students must be enrolled 6-18 credit hours (amount of scholarship funding is based on credit hours).

• GPA between 2.0 – 3.5 is desirable, however ALL current or future undergraduate/graduate students are encouraged to apply. High school students with a GED and non-traditional students returning to school may apply.