Wyoming Tribal License Plates to Benefit Native American Scholarships at UW

New Native American license plates that honor Wyoming’s two Wind River Indian Reservation tribes are now available through the University of Wyoming Alumni Association office. Proceeds will fund Native American student scholarships at UW. (WYDOT Photos)

New Native American license plates introduced in 2018 that honor Wyoming’s two Wind River Indian Reservation tribes are now available through the University of Wyoming Alumni Association office. Proceeds will fund Native American student scholarships at UW.

The tribal license plates -- which can be purchased by the public -- honor both the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho tribes. Proceeds from selling the specially designed plates will benefit two UW scholarship programs: the Chief Washakie Scholarship and the Northern Arapaho Endowment Scholarship.

The license plates are now available for $100 for either the Eastern Shoshone or the Northern Arapaho plate through the UW Alumni Association (UWAA) or through the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT).

To purchase either a Northern Arapaho or an Eastern Shoshone plate, visit the WYDOT website at www.dot.state.wy.us/home/titles_plates_registration/specialty_plates/tribal-plate.html.

The $100 fee can either be paid by credit card or check. If paying by check, download and return the application with payment to the UWAA office, located at 222 S. 22nd St., Laramie, WY, 82070. Of the fee, $70 will go to Native scholarships at UW and $30 to WYDOT for processing.

“We process the orders promptly on a regular basis and forward them to WYDOT so they can assign the plate number and forward the plate to the proper county treasurer,” says Keener Fry, UWAA executive director. “The plates will be available for pickup by the purchaser at the county treasurer’s office within a few weeks of the order being submitted.”

Fry says 100 percent of the $70 fee is deposited in the two scholarship funds managed by the UW Foundation.

The Northern Arapaho Endowment Scholarship Program was created in 1987 when the Northern Arapaho tribe gave $500,000 to UW. The gift was matched by the state, creating a $1 million endowment that annually produces income for the scholarships. The endowment, with a current market value of $2.2 million, has provided scholarships to many students who have earned degrees and several others who are currently enrolled. The Northern Arapaho Endowment at UW was established to help students from the Northern Arapaho tribe gain formal knowledge, skills and abilities.

The Chief Washakie Scholarship Program was created in 2003 when the Chief Washakie Foundation gave $200,000 to UW. Funds were collected to create Chief Washakie statues in the U.S. and Wyoming capitol buildings, and at the joint tribal headquarters in Fort Washakie. The gift was matched by the state, creating a $400,000 endowment that annually produces income for the scholarships. The endowment, with a current market value of over $500,000, has provided scholarships to several students, many of whom have earned degrees and several others who are currently enrolled. The Chief Washakie Memorial Endowment at UW helps students and educators with significant ties to the Wind River Indian Reservation community gain formal knowledge, skills and abilities.

For more information on ordering the tribal license plates, call the UWAA office at (307) 766-4166 or email uwalumni@uwyo.edu.