President Donald Trump's proposed 2026 federal budget seeks to eliminate all federal funding for the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA), the only four-year school dedicated to contemporary Indigenous arts. IAIA relies on federal funding for 75% of its operational costs and received $13 million in the prior two fiscal years; the budget also cuts over $500 million from the Bureau of Indian Education, which supports 37 tribal colleges including IAIA.
The defunding threatens 63 years of progress in Indigenous higher education and artistic expression, according to IAIA president Robert Martin. The school enrolls around 850 students from 92 federally recognized tribes, most from rural reservations, and is considered the birthplace of contemporary Indigenous art. Losing federal support would silence vital Indigenous voices and jeopardize a unique institution that blends traditional arts with modern technology, from Pueblo potters using 3D printers to Cherokee coders building virtual-reality worlds.