In August 2020, The University of North Carolina at Pembroke was awarded a $1.5 million dollar grant from the U.S. Department of Education's Native American Serving Non-Tribal Institution Program. The five-year grant was awarded to build upon the university's ability to serve low-income and American Indian students. The grant proposed the creation of an American Indian Heritage Center (AIHC) to centralize programming for American Indian students at UNCP. The AIHC will provide cultural, social and academic program for American Indian students as well as educational programming for non-Native faculty, staff, and students.