The American Indian College Fund has established the John Gritts Native Arts Memorial Scholarship with the support of his wife, Page Lambert, to honor Gritts’ lifetime advocacy for the education of Native people. A citizen of the Cherokee Nation, Gritts passed away in October 2025. A lifelong champion of Native students, he helped them navigate the processes to get into college, ensuring they did not give up. Gritts had a steady, humble way of showing up: listening first, always encouraging, and reminding students that they belonged in the places they worked so hard to reach. “Having started my career at Black Hills State in the student services and financial aid field, you can’t help but know and see what students need,” Gritts once said. 

The new four-year scholarship is for an art student attending the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The one-time scholarship provides $3,000 a year for the student selectee throughout all four years of college.  

Gritts was also a lifelong advocate for tribal colleges and universities because of how well they serve tribal communities and support Native students, and because he himself was an alumnus of IAIA (1966-68). He once shared, “I enjoyed hearing stories and learning how tribal colleges and universities were doing. To me, they just keep moving to the next level. They’re cornerstones on the reservations . . . they do a wonderful job educating their students.”  

Gritts also spent part of his career at the American Indian College Fund. The organization created this scholarship to continue his legacy, ensuring students know their talents and that stories matter. Importantly, the scholarship ensures that students don’t have to carry the cost of their dreams alone, and they have the tools to succeed. As Gritts said, “The best time, of course, is graduation—whether at Black Hills State or at a TCU. When the students walk across the stage and then say thank you, that is all it takes. You cry like a baby.”  

Cheryl Crazy Bull, president and CEO of the American Indian College Fund, said, “We are honored to remember John through supporting a student on their educational journey. We best honor his fierce advocacy for students by helping a student overcome financial barriers to achieving their college dreams, while also recognizing and honoring his artistic talents which he so generously shared to deepen that remembrance.” 

Dr. Shelly C. Lowe (Navajo), president of IAIA, said, “John Gritts devoted his life to expanding opportunity for Indigenous students, and his connection to the Institute of American Indian Arts—as a former student, staff member, and longtime supporter—remains a meaningful part of IAIA’s history. We are deeply grateful to Page Lambert and the American Indian College Fund for establishing this scholarship in his honor. This gift will support an IAIA student in pursuing their creative and educational journey, while carrying forward John’s enduring belief in the power of Indigenous education to transform lives and communities.”