Aaniiih and Nakoda Montessori Academy (ANMA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit Montessori school serving Kindergarten through 3rd grade in its inaugural year, adding one grade level annually until reaching 8th grade. ANMA is rooted in the cultural, linguistic, and spiritual foundations of the Aaniiih (Gros Ventre) and Nakoda (Assiniboine) people of the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation.
ANMA was founded in response to persistent academic disparities affecting Native American children. National data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress consistently shows Native American students scoring the lowest of all demographics across reading and mathematics assessments. Children in our community face these same inequities, compounded by intergenerational trauma rooted in historic federal policies, including the federal Indian boarding school system and systemic underfunding of Native education.
ANMA’s solution is culturally grounded, academically rigorous Montessori education centered in:
Our long-term goal is to develop confident, academically strong Aaniihnin and Nakodabi youth prepared to become the doctors, lawyers, financial experts, teachers, environmental scientists, policymakers, and cultural leaders necessary to uphold tribal sovereignty and defend treaty rights on our unceded homelands.
Organization name
Aaniiih and Nakoda Montessori Academy
other names
ANMA
Tax id (EIN)
87-0938587
Focus Areas
Native Languages, Land Back, Children & Family, Education, Arts & Culture, Cultural Preservation, K-12 Education
Geographic Area
Reservation, Tribal, Rural, Local, National
U.S. States and Territories Served
Montana
Nonprofit Type
501(c)3
Address
376 GROS VENTRE AVE