Rose B. Simpson gives $50,000 to launch scholarship for Pueblo, Hopi, and Ysleta Del Sur students at the Institute of American Indian Arts
Renowned artist and Santa Clara Pueblo member Rose B. Simpson has donated $50,000 to establish the Pueblo Homelands Scholarship Endowment at the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) in Santa Fe, creating a new source of merit-based financial support for Indigenous undergraduate students from New Mexico and beyond.
The endowment, announced May 26, is designed to support up to four full-time undergraduate students per academic year with awards of up to $2,500 each. Eligible students must be enrolled members of one of the 19 New Mexico Pueblo Nations, the Hopi Nation, or the Ysleta Del Sur Pueblo Nation. Recipients will be selected based on artistic and academic merit, demonstrated leadership, and commitment to cultural continuity and community impact. Funding begins with the 2026–2027 academic year.
Simpson, who earned two degrees from IAIA — in 2007 and 2018 — and now serves on the school’s Board of Trustees, described the gift as a way of returning something to an institution that shaped her own path. “IAIA has been an important part of my journey as an artist, writer, and human being,” she said, adding that she hopes the scholarship helps future students deepen their creativity and strengthen their connection to culture and community.
IAIA President Dr. Shelly C. Lowe called the gift visionary, saying the endowment “honors relationships to community, culture, and place” and will help students pursue their education while carrying forward the creativity and leadership their communities depend on. More than 80 percent of IAIA students require scholarship support, according to the school.
The endowment is intended to grow over time. Through December 31, 2026, donors who contribute $5,000 or more will be recognized as Founders of the Pueblo Homelands Scholarship Endowment.
The gift reflects Simpson’s deepening ties to IAIA, which also included the 2024 campus dedication of her sculpture Heights I. Her work spans ceramic sculpture, metals, fashion, performance, music, installation, writing, and custom cars, and has been collected by institutions including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Guggenheim, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Hirshhorn, and SFMOMA. She was featured in the 2024 Whitney Biennial and holds an honorary doctorate from the Rhode Island School of Design.
