Tribal college students, faculty, and staff have long known their higher education institutions aren’t merely unique centers for learning—they also serve as vital centers for cultural and community healing.

Accordingly, the Center for American Progress partnered with the American Indian College Fund to research and write a three-part series about the benefits of tribally controlled higher education and how expanded funding would help TCUs protect endangered languages, address greater economic opportunities for students, ensure that graduates have access to a wide range of careers, and upgrade school infrastructure to assure safe classrooms and housing for students. The first of three columns in the series explores how each dollar invested in TCUs yields more than $5 in economic and physical and mental health benefits—a glimpse at what expanded funding for TCUs could deliver to Native students and their communities.

“Tribal colleges and universities are not only training environmental scientists, engineers, nurses, and social workers in often rural, remote communities, they are also feeding families in need, running Head Start programs, and revitalizing languages and preserving cultural knowledge,” said Marcella Bombardieri, senior fellow at Center for American Progress and co-author of the column. “Policymakers deserve credit for stepping up support for TCUs since the beginning of the pandemic,” she said, but added that it will take additional funding to maximize the benefits of TCUs on their communities’ economies and health.

In addition to offering culturally based programs that immerse students in their languages, traditions, and cultures, which provide students with better physical and mental health as well as economic outcomes, TCUs prepare Native students for their careers. Tribal college alumni often go on to work in fields that serve their Indigenous communities. They serve in roles overseeing their tribal lands, in tribal government, teaching, and healthcare, as law officers, policymakers, and more—all of which speaks to the nation-building role that TCUs play in graduating engaged tribal citizens.

Increasing federal funding for TCUs is an investment in strengthening their resources and making long-overdue upgrades to infrastructure, but just as important, it increases the sustainability of TCUs, allowing them to serve as centers of healing and cultural discovery for even more generations of Native students.

The American Indian College Fund is grateful for the work of the Center for American Progress in raising visibility of TCUs and their students, and in particular with legislators at the national level. The three-part series can be found on the Center for American Progress website.