BANNING, CA – In an ongoing effort to help educate and prepare the next generation of tribal leaders, the Morongo Band of Mission Indians has donated $100,000 to the California Indian Nations College (CINC) in Palm Desert, CA. The donation is part of the two-year community college’s “$3,000,000 Campaign,” launched in April with an initial goal to raise $1 million by Dec. 30, 2021. CINC is working to become the first fully-accredited tribal college in the state of California to offer two-year degrees.
“We are incredibly grateful to the Morongo Band of Mission Indians for investing in the future of Native students and for the tribe’s ongoing commitment to supporting the academic success of Native people everywhere,” said Celeste Townsend, CINC’s President. “This gift allows us to continue our mission to provide a culturally-responsive academic curriculum rooted in Native American values.”
“The California Indian Nations College is a bold and visionary institution that seeks to reverse historic trends that have left Native students underrepresented in postsecondary education,” said Morongo Tribal Chairman Charles Martin. “We firmly believe education is the great equalizer and we hope this contribution will help bring greater educational equity to Native people.”
The CINC donation aligns with Morongo’s history of supporting higher education. Since 2010, the Rodney T. Mathews Scholarship Program at Morongo has awarded $530,000 to 53 Native American students attending universities across the nation. The program is open to enrolled members of any of the more than 100 federally-recognized tribes in California.
