April 17, 2026
The Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation, through Doyuti T’uhkama, is committing $450,000 over three years to expand the Momhi Scholarship Program with Solano Community College through the Solano Community College Educational Foundation.
The investment will provide $150,000 annually in scholarship funding, helping students from Vallejo of all ages access higher education opportunities.
The Momhi Scholarship Program is need-based, with larger awards available to students facing the greatest financial barriers, including single parents and working adults returning to school. The scholarship takes its name from “momhi,” a word in the Patwin language meaning “share.”
“Education creates opportunity not just for individuals, but for entire communities,” said Anthony Roberts, Tribal Chairman of the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation Tribal Council. “The Momhi Scholarship reflects our belief in sharing resources and opportunity with communities across our Patwin homelands, helping Vallejo students pursue their goals and strengthen the region we all share.”
Since the program began, 94 Vallejo students have already received scholarships, helping make college attainable for those who might otherwise be unable to attend.
“For many Vallejo students, especially working adults and single parents, scholarship funding is life-changing. It allows them to stay in college, support their families, and continue moving toward a degree that once felt out of reach,” said Carolyn Warne, Director of the Solano Community College Educational Foundation. “This kind of support doesn’t just help students persist, it transforms their futures. This scholarship is a critical investment in Vallejo students. It removes financial barriers, improves retention, and empowers working adults and single parents to complete their education and change the trajectory of their lives.”
The Momhi Scholarship Program is part of the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation’s broader commitment that aims to strengthen communities throughout Patwin ancestral
territory. Through investments in education, health, environmental stewardship, and economic opportunity, the Tribe supports the well-being of communities across the region.
The Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation is a self-governed, sovereign Patwin Tribe. The Tribe and its people have lived, stewarded, and maintained a deep cultural connection to their Patwin homelands and traditional territory from time immemorial, including California’s Capay Valley and regions throughout Yolo, Solano, Colusa, and parts of Lake and Napa counties.
This announcement of the $450,000 to Solano College comes the same week the Vallejo City Council voted 4-2 to provide fire, police, and water services for a “very small casino operation” and office for the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians in Vallejo. The Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation has been one of Scotts Valley’s biggest opponents, arguing that Scotts Valley has no ancestral rights in Vallejo.
The memorandum agreement – technically a memorandum of understanding – includes a requirement for Scotts Valley to contribute $100,000 in community benefits, make 15 percent local hires, initiate community engagement throughout the project, and give an unspecified amount to help clean up the White Slough encampment.