[3] During the Civil Rights Acts and Native American self-determination movements in the 1960s and 1970s, tribal leaders decided there was a need for change in what they described as failed federal education policy to improve education for American Indian students to serve their communities, leading to the creation of tribal colleges and universities (TCUs).

The American Indian College Fund has received top ratings from independent charity evaluators.

The College Fund meets the Standards for Charity Accountability of the Better Business Bureau's Wise Giving Alliance.

According to the American Indian Higher Education Consortium, TCUs are chartered by their respective tribal governments, including the ten tribes within the largest reservations in the United States.

TCUs vary in enrollment (size), focus (liberal arts, sciences, workforce development/training), location (woodlands, desert, frozen tundra, rural reservation, urban), and student population (predominantly American Indian).