National Endowment for Financial Education Collaborates with American Indian College Fund to Provide Online Financial Education for Native Students

DENVER, March 8, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A series of four handbooks titled "Developing Your Vision While Attending College" has been co-developed by the American Indian College Fund and the National Endowment for Financial Education® (NEFE®).

The four handbooks take students step-by-step through the process of deciding to go to college and, once enrolled, teach them about financial aid and money management. For Native American students, the series uniquely promotes success in college by featuring stories of personal struggle and show how educational and cultural success is intertwined. The handbooks are available on the Fund's web site at www.collegefund.org and can also be downloaded into PDF format.

"American Indians are at a disadvantage financially when planning for college due to high levels of poverty and unemployment on Indian reservations, making it even more important that Native peoples plan their resources carefully," said Richard B. Williams, President and CEO of the American Indian College Fund. "We are thrilled to have the support of the National Endowment for Financial Education, with whom we collaborated to develop these important tools that can help Natives successfully navigate the road to getting into college from a financial standpoint. Wise financial planning is integral to getting into and staying in college to ensure students' academic and career success."

"Planning and preparation can lead to community success in achieving goals. This holds true in terms of an individual's finances too," says Brent Neiser, CFP®, senior director at the National Endowment for Financial Education. "Having knowledge of the fundamental concepts of money management, paired with tribal values and higher education are tremendously beneficial in both community and individual settings."

About the American Indian College Fund

With its credo "Educating the Mind and Spirit," the American Indian College Fund is the nation's largest private provider of scholarships for American Indian students, providing an average of 6,000 scholarships annually for students seeking to better their lives and communities through education and support to the nation's 33 accredited tribal colleges and universities. For more information about the American Indian College Fund, please visit www.collegefund.org

About the National Endowment for Financial Education® (NEFE®)

NEFE is an independent nonprofit organization committed to educating Americans about personal finance and empowering them to make positive and sound decisions to reach financial goals. For more information, visit www.nefe.org.

SOURCE American Indian College Fund