The Association on American Indian Affairs is the oldest Indian advocacy and service organization in the United States, founded in 1922.  We are governed by an all-Native Board of Directors from tribes across the country and currently have offices in Sisseton and Agency Village, South Dakota and Rockville, Maryland. AAIA is a not-for-profit 501 (c)(3) organization for federal tax purposes. AAIA's programs are sensitive to the history and cultures of the communities that we serve and build upon community strengths. Our current programs focus in the areas of Youth and Preservation of Tribal Cultures and Communities which include:

The mission of the AAIA, as approved by our Board of Directors, is to promote the welfare of American Indians and Alaska Natives by supporting efforts to:

- sustain and perpetuate their cultures and languages;

- protect their sovereignty, constitutional, legal and human rights, and natural resources; and

- improve their health, education, and economic and community development.

AAIA has had a long list of accomplishments, including playing an instrumental role in obtaining the enactment of such laws as the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) and Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), protecting sacred sites such as the Bighorn Medicine Wheel that are threatened by development, and awarding thousands of scholarships to Native American students over the last 50 years.

- Scholarships

- Indian Child Welfare

- Youth Summer Camps

- Diabetes Education

- Native Language Preservation

- Sacred Lands Protection

- Repatriation

- Federal Recognition