Cite as: 70 CNCA § 904

A. The Council authorizes the establishment of the Cherokee Nation Leadership Scholarship Fund through a partnership with the Cherokee Nation Foundation commencing with the 2024-2025 academic year, funded by any available funding source including, but not limited to; the general fund and administered through the annual charitable contributions budget.

B. The Cherokee Nation Leadership Scholarship Fund shall allocate equal scholarships in each council district on the Cherokee Nation Reservation fifteen (15), two (2) such scholarships for at-large citizens, a scholarship named for the Office of Principal Chief, and a scholarship named for the Office of Deputy Principal Chief, at an equal amount of up to $5,000 each.

i. A Cherokee Nation Leadership Scholarship shall be designated for:

a) Council district applicants, one (1) per fifteen (15) geographic districts within the reservation designated as "Cherokee Nation Leadership Scholarship — District [x] Scholar"

b) At-Large applicants, two (2) scholarships with at-large residency required, designated as "Cherokee Nation Leadership Scholarship — At-Large Scholar(s)"

c) Office of Principal Chief, one (1) scholarship of universal geographic eligibility, designated as "Cherokee Nation Leadership Scholarship — Principal Chief Scholar"

d) Office of Deputy Principal Chief, one (1) scholarship of universal geographic eligibility designated as "Cherokee Nation Leadership Scholarship — Deputy Principal Chief Scholar"

ii. These scholarships shall be merit-based, with uniform academic eligibility requirements for all scholarships, including a minimum 3.0 GPA, memorialized in a Memorandum of Understanding between Cherokee Nation and the Cherokee Nation Foundation.

iii. Upon enactment of this Act, all memoranda of understandings or other agreements between the Cherokee Nation Foundation and Cherokee Nation relating to Council district-based scholarships shall be null and void, replaced by the agreements described herein:

iv. The Cherokee Nation Leadership Scholarship Fund shall be the exclusive Council District, Principal Chief or Deputy Chief designated scholarship available through the Cherokee Nation Foundation, though nothing herein prohibits the Council from earmarking or otherwise requesting funds be provided to Cherokee Nation Foundation from Community Assistance or Special Projects funds on a general and unrestricted basis and without respect to designating a particular scholarship name or purpose.

v. Cherokee Nation Leadership Scholarship shall be memorialized in a "Cherokee Leadership Scholarship Memorandum of Understanding between Cherokee Nation and the Cherokee Nation Foundation [name of scholarship]," the term of which shall not exceed 5 years, subject to renewal, signed by the Principal Chief after consultation with the relevant district Council member, with and copy of which shall be provided to the Speaker of the Council of the Cherokee Nation.

vi. Each Cherokee Nation Leadership Scholarship shall be named pursuant to this Act and shall bear no other name, other than abbreviations or summaries of names for convenience of communications.

vii. Nothing in this Act prohibits the donation of Cherokee Nation funds to the Cherokee Nation Foundation for any other purpose and nothing in this Act prohibits the donation of personal funds by a Cherokee Nation elected official to the Cherokee Nation Foundation for any purpose, including establishing a scholarship.

Historical Data

LA 05-24, eff. January 23, 2024. Amended LA 04-26, eff. January 12, 2026.