The Madison, Wis.-based Freedom From Religion Foundation said Alaska Christian College features a "substantive integration of religion" in its education program and should not have received federal grants worth about $1 million over two years.
The April 21 legal complaint charged that the funding of the school with 37 students gives the appearance of government endorsement of religion. An Education Department spokesperson did not return a call requesting comment.
Keith Hamilton, the school's president, said in an interview that the school has received about $1 million from federal sources, including $350,000 for the school's counseling center from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
He said most of the students are Native Americans who have lived in small villages. The school, which is affiliated with the Evangelical Covenant Church of Alaska, aims to help them make the transition to a university by offering them communications and Bible-based courses and linking them to a neighboring community college.
Hamilton declined to comment on the specifics of the suit against his school, which has an operating budget of about $2 million.
"We're just trying to help students get from their village life and succeed," he said. "We're trying to do good work."
