As outlined in the federal Equity in Educational Land Grant Status Act of 1994, Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College received designation as a federal Land Grant institution. This federal act conferred land-grant status on 29 tribal colleges and authorized the establishment of an endowment to support land grant initiatives at these colleges.
Currently, there are only 105 land grant colleges and universities in the United States designated by the original 1862 legislation and the subsequent 1890 and 1994 federal legislation.

Land grant institutions follow a mandate to provide openness, accessibility, and service to people. Many land grant institutions are among the ranks of the most distinguished public research institutions, and all share the same three-fold mission of teaching, research, and extension.