Indigenous Leadership Academy — Course / Training

The Indigenous Leadership Academy (ILA) is run by the Tribal Nations Policy Institute at Arizona State University, the unit formerly known as the American Indian Policy Institute. Each cohort takes about 25 working professionals through ten modules built on Indigenous ways of knowing, Tribal sovereignty and community-centered leadership. Nine modules run live on Zoom with readings and discussion hosted on Canvas, and the tenth meets in person at a national conference.

Every participant develops a leadership project for their own community. Themed cohorts add a specialism: the Fall 2026 Tribal Water Sovereignty cohort is taught with the ASU Kyl Center for Water Policy and produces a co-authored policy paper on the Colorado River Basin. The Fall 2026 general cohort has closed; the water cohort takes applications until 6 September 2026.

Benefits & funding

Tuition is USD 2,650 for the ten-module program.
Scholarships are available and every applicant is considered for one automatically; award sizes are not published.
Live teaching from Indigenous leaders, educators, researchers and guest speakers, with mentorship and peer learning.
Weekly guidance on a community-centered leadership project; the water cohort instead co-authors a policy paper presented at a national water conference.
ASU digital certification and badging on successful completion.
Membership of the ILA cohort and alumni network on LinkedIn.
Each cohort is limited to roughly 25 participants.

Eligibility

Applicants live in the United States and are members of a federally recognized Tribe; the water cohort also admits people who work directly with Tribal Nations in the Colorado River Basin.
Applicants are 21 or older.
The program is for working professionals. Current full-time students are asked not to apply, and the water cohort form declines applicants who are enrolled at a college or university.
Applicants commit to all ten sessions plus coursework and program activities, including about 1.5 hours of reading a week.
A reliable internet connection, a laptop or desktop computer and printer access are required; participants enroll in ASU CareerCatalyst.
An active LinkedIn profile is required at the time of application; applications without one are not considered.
Applicants propose a community-centered leadership project, or for the water cohort a collaborative policy paper topic.
A bachelor’s or associate degree, or at least five years of professional or community leadership experience, counts in an applicant’s favour and is not required.

Can you apply?

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Residence required
USA
Age requirement
≥ 21 yrs

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Application process

1
Open the program page and check which cohort is accepting applications.
2
Read that cohort’s FAQ and sample application to preview every question.
3
Prepare recent work and leadership experience, answers on leadership strengths and community impact, a project or paper topic, and a LinkedIn profile link.
4
Submit the cohort’s online form before the deadline; water cohort applicants also email a résumé or CV to the program coordinator.
5
Wait for the review. An alumni panel reads the applications with personal details removed, then ILA staff and facilitators select the cohort.

Program timeline

Tribal Water Sovereignty cohort applications open.
20 July 2026
General cohort begins with a Saturday Zoom module.
15 August 2026
Information webinar for the water cohort.
26 August 2026
6 September 2026
Water cohort application deadline; the sample application PDF still prints an earlier date of 16 August 2026.
Water cohort begins with a Saturday Zoom module, followed by Tuesday evening sessions.
3 October 2026
General cohort final module in person at the NCAI Conference in Palm Springs, California.
18–22 October 2026
Water cohort final module in person at the CRWUA Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada.
9–11 December 2026
Spring 2027
two further cohorts, with at least one more in fall 2027; the topics announced so far are a general cohort and an education-focused cohort.