Salish Kootenai College created the Indigenous Math and Science Institute (IMSI). The department began as the All Nations Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (ANLSAMP) in 1995. This program is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and serves the 32 AIHEC Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) and 20 state and private institutions of higher education in a twelve state region. The goal is to increase the quality and quantity of American Indians receiving baccalaureate degrees and graduate degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The department grew to include preK-12 activities and began receiving funds from other sources. With the expansion in focus and finding sources, SKC recognized the need to form a department that was inclusive of all its activities.

The Indigenous Math and Science Institute (IMSI) was formed in December of 2001. There are two primary divisions within the department. The first is the college level programs including ANLSAMP. The NSF Computer Science, Engineering and Mathematics Scholarship (CEMS) program provides scholarships that promote full-time education to Native American students attending ANLSAMP institutions. The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scholarship offers scholarships to Tribal College students in the SMET fields.

Our preK-12 programs include the NSF funded Rural Systemic Initiative (RSI) that is designed to implement a comprehensive, sustainable, adaptable system-wide reform of science, mathematics and technology instruction and learning on the Flathead Reservation. The NSF Leadership Development for Master Teacher grant is designed to increase student achievement by providing equitable access to high quality standards based curricula delivered by exemplary teachers using effective instructional methods. The NASA funded Native Earth Science Curriculum Projects (NESCP) is a collaborative effort to develop and disseminate culturally competent curriculum specific to NASA's Earth Systems Science. The NASA Northern Rocky Mountain Tribal Pathways to Academic Excellence (NRMT PACE) is a summer program to prepare students for their first high school algebra course and is a joint effort between the NEZ Perce Tribe, SKC and the Idaho Space Grant Consortium.

Through this diversity, the SKC Indigenous Math and Science Institutes (IMSI) is an all-inclusive effort that promotes Native American achievement at all levels of science, mathematics, engineering, technology and education.