Tribal Scholarships were offered for the first time in the late 1970’s. The White Mountain Apache Tribal Council believed it was important to show their support for the White Mountain Apache students’ educational endeavors. This opportunity is provided as a privilege with the intent that recipients, upon graduation, will return to the White Mountain Apache Tribe to apply their learning to benefit the continuing development of the WMAT.
In the early 1980’s the White Mountain Apache Tribe successfully contracted with the Bureau of Indian Affairs for the Higher Education grant program. The contract amount has ranged from $180,000 to $285,000 per fiscal year. This amount is dependent on Congressional appropriations and Tribal Priority allocation. In the 1990’s the Hondah Casino appropriated additional funds toward the scholarship program.