Western Shoshone Education Trust Fund
P.O. Box 1898
Elko, NV 89803
wshoshon
Welcome to the Western Shoshone Educational Trust Fund Website. It is an honor to present this educational funding opportunity to you.
The Western Shoshone Educational Trust Fund was established via the Public Law 108-270 with the mission of distribution of educational assistance for the Western Shoshone People who were eligible for the Western Shoshone Claims Judgment Roll, and/or individuals who prove to be lineal descendant of an individual appearing on the said judgment roll, and who satisfies all eligibility criteria established by the committee.
This award is designed to supplement your college funding. On this website there are listings of other funding sources. Contact your school’s financial aid office to find out about “in-house” funding that you would be eligible for. Additionally, it is always a good idea to check for tuition breaks for Native American students.
We wish you the best in your academic endeavors!
Western Shoshone Education Trust Fund Administrative Committee
UPDATE
The committee has completed accepting applications for the Fall 2020 semester for the Western Shoshone Educational Trust Fund. The committee representatives have also changed so please check the "About Us" page to make sure you know who your representative is. Updates on appointments will be made for those not listed at this time.
Next deadline is
June 15, 2021, for the Spring 2021 Semester.
We have revised the application and it can be found on the Application & other Documents page.
If you need assistance with your application, please contact your tribal representative or At-large representative found on the "About Us" page.
For Continuing/Returning Students, we have added a separate form instead of the regular application. This is only for those students that have received our award previously.
The current deadlines are noted on the application guidelines.
Fall Semester - June 15th
Spring Semester - January 5th
Please review revised application (3/19) to note changes.
Please provide your application prior to the deadline since some applicants have not been selected due to incomplete data or records.
Be sure to read the application guidelines to make sure that you have all documents.
Every semester, recipients need to have grades/cumulative grade point average submitted by the deadline to be considered for the following semester.
It is not an automatic continuation of funds.
Continuing eligible student transcripts need the student's name, educational institute's letterhead or https address on the transcript to be accepted.
Continuing Students also do not have to resend the whole application.
All Students will need to provide a class schedule showing you have registered as a full-time student. If there is a deadline problem, prior to the deadline, you will need to send us the continuing student form and school's schedule showing when you can register with your application.
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Timeline of the WSETF-AC Bylaws, guidelines and application:
Dec-April 2013
Committee met to develop and finalized the WSETF-AC Bylaws, guidelines and application.
February 2013
Committee submitted WSETF-AC Bylaws
April 2013
Committee submitted WSETF guidelines and application
June 2013
Committee notified of legal concerns from BIA
July 12, 2013
Committee revised WSETF-AC Bylaws and submitted them to BIA
September 2013
Solicitor’s Office contacted Chair and Committee revised recommendations and resubmitted them to the Solicitor’s Office.
November 2013
Conference Call with BIA and no update was provided. BIA to check into status.
April 2014
Conference Call with BIA and no update was provided. BIA to check into status.
May 29, 2014
BIA email stating that the letter has been given to the Assistant Secretary for signature.
July 10, 2014
Email to Tribal Chair people with a request from the committee to write letters of support to get WSETF-AC Bylaws, guidelines and application approved.
Committee letter to Secretary of the Interior, Sally Jewell request an expedited approval.
July 24, 2014
Kevin Washburn, Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs, letter approving WSETF-AC Bylaws with notation that the application form would need to be approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
August 22, 2014
Jimmy Hastings office notifying the Committee that the application was in Washington and being forward to OMB along with a federal register notice. This would take a 90 day process.
November 2014
Email to J. Hastings at BIE and no update was provided.
December 2014
Email to J. Hastings at BIE and no update was provided.
January 13, 2015
Email to J. Hastings at BIE and no update was provided
January 29, 2015
Chairman Virginia Sanchez visited and emailed to Senator Reid’s Washington office regarding OMB
February 12, 2015
Communicated with Amanda Begay regarding OMB review and the Paperwork Reduction Act.
February 26, 2015
Hastings notified Committee that there was no one in Sacramento BIE office that Committee had noted on the application and had intended to use Assistant to receive applications and maintain files.
March 4, 2015
Amanda Begay, BIA Office of Regulatory Affairs and Collaborative Action, notified committee that our application had not been submitted to OMB. Notified committee that the process was restarted and would be published in the Federal Register and solicit public comments for 60-days.
March 19, 2015
Committee met & voted to remove BIA/BIE from application process. Committee notified BIA to withdraw application from OMB review. Committee will administer the guidelines and application process in consultation with the Eastern & Western Agencies.
Copyright 2015 Western Shoshone Educational Trust Fund. All rights reserved.
Western Shoshone Education Trust Fund
P.O. Box 1898
Elko, NV 89803
wshoshon