UW Launches $2M Scholarship Fund for Wind River Students

Big news for future Cowboys and Cowgirls from the Wind River Reservation: the University of Wyoming is putting serious money on the table to help more Native students earn a degree, County 10 reports.

Last week, UW’s Board of Trustees approved the creation of the Wind River Promise Fund — a $2 million endowment, plus an extra $250,000 in startup cash — that will provide scholarships for Northern Arapaho and Eastern Shoshone students who are Wyoming residents. The program is set to kick off in fall 2026 for incoming students.

Here’s the headline: the scholarship could cover up to the full cost of undergraduate tuition and mandatory fees, depending on available funds. Students can renew it for up to eight semesters, as long as they keep up their grades and stay enrolled full-time.

“This is a major step forward in UW’s relationship with the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho,” UW President Ed Seidel said. “We’re excited to expand opportunities and support for tribal members in our state.”

To qualify, students must:

• Be enrolled members of the Eastern Shoshone or Northern Arapaho tribes

• Be Wyoming residents who graduated from a Wyoming high school

• Stay in good academic standing

• Enroll full-time at UW

• Fill out the FAFSA every year

The new scholarship ties into a 2022 agreement between UW and the tribes, which committed both sides to expand collaboration on education, research, and cultural programs. UW already runs several initiatives — like the Native American and Indigenous Studies Program, the Native American Summer Institute, and the High Plains American Indian Research Institute — to support Native students and communities.

And the funding doesn’t stop here. The UW Foundation is working to raise even more money to keep the Wind River Promise Fund growing.

“This will include not only scholarships, but also enrichment funds to support students once they’re on campus,” said John Stark, president and CEO of the UW Foundation.

This new endowment joins a roster of other scholarship programs aimed at Native students, including the Northern Arapaho Endowment Fund, the Chief Washakie Memorial Scholarship, and several others. Earlier this year, UW also received a $500,000 gift from the estate of William “Bill” Kruggel to help Wind River high school grads pursue college.

In short: by 2026, more Native students from Wyoming will have a stronger financial bridge to Laramie — and UW is betting big on that future.