Over $1.8 million in scholarships was awarded to Choctaw students at the 2025 Chahta Foundation Scholarship Banquets. These scholarships helped more than 400 Choctaw students reach their higher education goals in the past year.
The Chahta Foundation is the nonprofit arm of the Choctaw Nation.
It works to create opportunities for the Choctaw people through programs and services in education, health and wellness and cultural citizenship.
The mission of the Chahta Foundation is to empower the next generation with knowledge through education.
Every project aims to produce high-impact initiatives that bring positive change to the Choctaw community.
Each initiative is designed to educate and evolve with Choctaw people to enhance the overall well-being of the citizens of the Choctaw Nation.
These scholarships are funded through donations from individuals, which are matched dollar-for-dollar by the Choctaw Nation.
The scholarships are highly competitive, with many applicants each year.
During one of the award banquets, Angela Palmer, the Executive Director of the Chahta Foundation, congratulated the recipients.
“You are here today because you earned it,” said Palmer. “The Chahta Foundation scholarship program is competitive, which means that not everyone who applies gets one.”
A wide range of scholarships is available to students in nearly every field.
“We award degrees to any accredited school in the U.S., from technical to doctoral levels. Some are one-year scholarships, while others are renewable, supporting students through graduation,” said Tesia Nickles, the Program Director for the Chahta Foundation.
