Hopi Education Endowment Fund

Plant a Seed... Nurture a Student... Inspire a Community

The Hopi people have long valued education.  Upon his return from a trip to Washington DC in 1880, Oraibi Chief Looloma impressed upon his people the importance of learning the ways of the white man to ensure their survival as Hopi.

Today the Hopi people recognize that an education can help and promote its nation-building efforts and protect their unique cultural identity and practices as they face twenty-first century challenges.

To ensure that educational opportunities are always available for Hopi students, the Hopi Education Endowment Fund (HEEF) was established.  The Hopi Education Endowment Fund is located on the Hopi reservation and was created through tribal law as a form of community investment.

Since 2001, proceeds from the Fund have provided more than $7.6 million to Hopi students in the form of grants & scholarships for higher education and IMAGINE Grants for local community education projects that protect and strengthen culture, language, and provide professional & leadership development.

You can help the Hopi people by planting a seed that will help to grow the fund to meet the needs of current and future generations of Hopi students.

Grants & Scholarships

Over the past 12 years, more than 275 students have earned their Associates, Bachelors, Masters and Doctorate degrees in a variety of fields with the support of the HEEF. The impact of higher education extends beyond the student; earning a degree supports self-sufficiency, but more importantly, it inspires younger students and their communities.

IMAGINE Grants

The HEEF IMAGINE Grants Program also inspires community.  IMAGINE grant recipients implement education projects that are based in Hopi culture, language and values, therefore creating small changes that affect education at the grass-roots level while developing, training and helping our Hopi people grow to meet the needs of the community.  Since 2004 the HEEF has invested more than $120,000 to fund 24 projects in the Hopi community that has served hundreds of students, some as young as three years old.