Our Challenge:

As a non-gaming tribe, the Hopi Tribe derived a majority of its revenue from natural resources located on the 1.8 million acre reservation. The revenue source, coal, is not only finite but also precarious from year-to-year as the revenue is calculated based on the amount mined. This scenario became reality in December of 2005, as lease negotiations with coal supplier, Peabody Coal Company, coupled with the closure of the Mohave Generating station resulted in the Hopi Tribe receiving a significant decrease in revenue from their natural resources.

Through the foresight of the Hopi Tribe in creating the HEEF, current and future generations of Hopi students will have educational funding available, however, with increasing numbers of Hopi students graduating high school and pursuing post-secondary education, in addition to educational costs, stagnate higher education appropriations from the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the HEEF's biggest challenge is ensuring the continued growth of viable funding sources for Hopi education programs now and into the future.