Tribal colleges in Montana and across the country are facing steep federal funding cuts and inconsistent philanthropic support, according to a new report.
The American Indian College Fund and the Brookings Institution's study found chronic underfunding in Indian Country.
Elijah Hopkins, interim president of Ft. Peck Community College, said federal grants have become extremely competitive and his college has lost several of them over the past few years.
"Even though we've maintained the same amount of students, the support services to pay for staffing and for other technological supports has really hindered our ability to provide qualitatively strong services to all of our students," Hopkins explained.
Hopkins added they may have to trim degree and program offerings, making it harder to fill local jobs in fields like nursing and technical trades. The college serves around 400 students in Poplar, Montana, on the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Reservation. It is one of seven tribal colleges and universities in Montana and provides the community's only postsecondary education.
Cheryl Crazy Bull, president and CEO of the American Indian College Fund, said the report provided significant evidence of chronic underfunding by the federal government, despite trust and treaty obligations for Native Americans. She feels there are lost opportunities for Native communities to work past historical inequities.
"You can't really have this self-determination in the Native community without being a culturally grounded, well-educated person," Crazy Bull contended.
Rob Maxim, tribal economics fellow at The Brookings Institution and co-author of the report, said on the philanthropic side, high-profile figures like Amazon cofounder MacKenzie Scott will occasionally step up with notable contributions but he acknowledged not many others are doing the same.
"It's not predictable philanthropy and so it's really difficult with that type of kind of scattershot giving to really change the overall trend," Maxim noted.
The report found every dollar invested in tribal colleges and universities returns $1.60 in tax revenue and public sector savings.