The federal trust responsibility is a legal obligation, rooted in legal and political precedent, in which the U.S. government commits to protect tribal sovereignty, resources, and welfare. For Indigenous communities, there is a long history of broken promises between the U.S. and tribal governments through discriminatory policies and a lack of adequate investment in these communities. One consistent method of marginalization is to obscure or eliminate demographic groups within large datasets, effectively removing "undesirable" groups from consideration and the decision-making process that culminates in outcomes dominated by and reflecting the majority perspective and mindset. Federal, state, and other data collection methods are often criticized by Native communities for skewing demographic narratives and variables (Santos & Tachine, 2024). As a result, many policies affecting Native communities are designed for them but not by them, which infringes on the rights of tribal sovereignty. To address this disconnect, the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) has instituted several initiatives with a clear focus on respecting Indigenous narratives, Indigenizing data metrics, and affirming the tribal data sovereignty that is essential in understanding tribal communities. Since 2004, AIHEC has worked with its tribal college and university (TCU) members to develop a reporting system that more accurately reflects Native lived experiences by collecting both qualitative narratives and quantitative metrics to measure TCU impact and effectiveness more appropriately (Hanson et al., 2023). AIHEC has undertaken this effort despite the availability of existing post-secondary data systems offering similar data, as those datasets often obscure Native individuals through continued miscategorization (Lopez et al., 2024). Tribal communities must remain resilient in charting their own path in data sovereignty and relying on their political status in their efforts to advocate for their trust rights in Indian Country. Now is the time to arm tribal communities, nations, leaders, and policymakers with data rooted in Indigenous perspectives, values, and goals to hold the U.S. government to its legal obligations and further advocate to improve the quality of life for Indigenous peoples everywhere. This article seeks to cover AIHEC's role in empowering TCUs by building institutional capabilities and leveraging data as a driving force for advocacy.