The U.S. Department of Education has terminated grant funding for Alaska Native and Native-Hawaiian-serving university programs and support services, an act that University of Alaska Fairbanks Chancellor Mike Sfraga said “will have a substantial and negative impact on a large number of Alaskans, including our Alaska Native students.”
Sfraga announced the federal decision in a campus-wide email on Sept. 11.
Sfraga said the funding cut for UAF is estimated at $2.9 million, and the full effects are still under review. More than 20%, or an estimated 1,450 students at UAF are Indigenous, he noted.
The full extent of the grant funding freeze across the University of Alaska system is still being analyzed, said Jonathon Taylor, UA director of public affairs, by email on Sept. 12.
“We are evaluating the impact these changes will have on our services to Alaska Native students, and are communicating directly with students, staff, and faculty who may be affected,” UA President Pitney said in an emailed statement Sept. 12.
“A significant part of UA’s identity is our commitment to Alaska Native culture, language, art, heritage, business and tribal management and governance; that remains unchanged.”
Taylor said the University of Alaska Southeast has at least one grant-funded program on the Sitka campus aimed at improving student services, and university officials are waiting to hear whether it will be eliminated. Taylor said the University of Alaska Anchorage does not have any programs funded by this federal grant.
As of fall 2024, there were 3,254 students enrolled at the University of Alaska that identified as Alaska Native or American Indian, and 266 that identified as Hawaiian Native or Pacific Islander, according to the university, and 19,629 students total across the UA system.
The University of Alaska announcements came after the Trump administration said on Sept. 10 it will withhold an estimated $350 million of congressionally approved funding for minority-serving colleges and universities, saying the money will be allocated elsewhere. The measure continues President Donald Trump’s initiative to eliminate programs that focus on diversity, equity and inclusion.
Sfraga said the federal government is allowing up to a year to close out the programs. UAF has multiple grants which fall under the program, he said, and most are under the College of Indigenous Studies and the UAF Community and Technical College.
The grant program does not fund student aid, but it does support degree programs and support services like student advising and recruiting, workforce development and student success initiatives across campuses.
University officials report that to date, the Trump administration has cancelled $6.6 million in research grants and almost $45 million has been frozen.
Each year, the university receives an estimated $250 million in federal research funds, Taylor said, adding that “95% of the university’s broad research portfolio remains intact. UA has experienced only minor disruptions as a result of the rapidly shifting policy picture in Washington, D.C., and we are closely monitoring developments as they evolve.”

The Alaska Beacon is an independent, donor-funded news organization. Alaskabeacon.com.