The Johnson Scholarship Foundation Provides $750,000 Matching Grant Challenge to the American Indian College Fund for Scholarship Endowment for Business Students

DENVER, July 6, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Indian College Fund (the Fund) has received a challenge grant from the Johnson Scholarship Foundation (JSF).  The JSF will match up to $750,000 over the next three years to establish a scholarship endowment which will provide scholarships to American Indian students pursing business or entrepreneurship degrees at mainstream and tribal colleges and universities (TCUs).

The maximum scholarship amount will be $6,000 per academic year and will be renewable for up to three years.  For sophomores, the scholarship the first year of the award will be no greater than $2,500.  Because the program is a matching grant program, the first scholarships are estimated to be available at the earliest in fall 2013.

Eligible majors for students applying for scholarships under the grant include business administration, accounting, finance, marketing, and tribal administration.  Applicants must also be a member of a federally-recognized U.S. Indian Tribe with documented financial need; be currently enrolled or accepted at junior or higher level at a TCU or mainstream university (high-achieving sophomores at TCUs or mainstream colleges and universities may also be considered); have a minimum GPA of 3.3; be admitted to or enrolled in business, entrepreneurship or other program appropriate to self-employment and including a minor in business; have a demonstrated commitment to completing a bachelor's degree in one of the areas listed above; and if enrolled in a business program at a mainstream university, the program must be accredited by the AACSB or ACBSP.

Malcolm Macleod, President of the Johnson Scholarship Foundation, said, "The Johnson Scholarship Foundation is proud to act as a catalyst for this endowed scholarship project for the benefit of Native American college students who demonstrate financial need.  It speaks to our mission to assist American Indians to obtain education and thereby empower themselves."

Richard B. Williams, President and CEO of the American Indian College Fund said, "The generosity of the Johnson Scholarship Foundation is epic and greatly appreciated.  Their support will ensure that young Natives can develop business skills that will impact their communities and economies while also bettering their lives for many generations to come.  As a result, the Johnson Foundation is helping to change the face of Indian Country.  We are humbled by their compassion and their vision."

About the Johnson Scholarship Foundation
The Johnson Scholarship Foundation was founded in 1991 by Theodore R. Johnson and Vivian M. Johnson.  Since inception, it has made grants of approximately $80 million, much of it to American Indian causes.  The Foundation assists only those in financial need and views education as a vehicle by which disadvantaged people can better their lot in life.  In addition to its mission to Native Americans, the Johnson Scholarship Foundation is also committed to people with disabilities and those who demonstrate social and economic adversity.  All of the Foundation's grants are made through partner institutions.  It does not make grants to individuals.  For further information, please refer to the Foundation's website: www.jsf.bz.

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

SOURCE American Indian College Fund