Overview:
Native Forward Scholars Fund announced it will invest the full $50 million unrestricted gift it received from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott into Native higher education, allocating $10 million over the next five years for expanded scholarships and placing the remaining $40 million into a permanent endowment to support future generations of Native students.
Native Forward Scholars Fund announced Wednesday that it will direct the entirety of a $50 million unrestricted gift from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott toward supporting Native students, with the investment split between immediate scholarship assistance and a permanent endowment designed to benefit future generations.
The organization, the nation’s largest provider of direct scholarships to Native students, said $10 million will be distributed over the next five years, adding approximately $2 million annually in scholarship funding. The remaining $40 million will be placed into a permanent endowment to provide ongoing support for Native students in perpetuity.
The announcement comes as Native Forward reports unprecedented demand for scholarship assistance. According to the organization, its scholars face an average unmet financial need of $26,000, reflecting the rising cost of higher education and the financial challenges many Native students encounter while pursuing college degrees.
“For Native students, the path to higher education has never been without barriers — and yet, generation after generation, they persist,” said Angelique Albert, a citizen of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes and CEO of Native Forward Scholars Fund.
Albert said the organization’s decision reflects a longstanding Indigenous principle of planning for future generations.
“This investment reflects a principle long understood in Native communities: that decisions made today must hold in mind those who are seven generations in the future,” she said. “By pairing immediate scholarship expansion with a permanent endowment, Native Forward is honoring both the urgency of current student need and a responsibility to the Native leaders who have yet to begin their higher education journeys.”
She added that while $10 million will help students facing immediate financial pressures, the remaining $40 million will continue growing to support Native students who have yet to begin their educational journeys.
Native Forward’s support extends beyond financial aid. The organization provides one-on-one advising, mentorship through a network of more than 22,000 alumni, and culturally centered programming designed to help students succeed academically while maintaining connections to their communities and identities.
According to the organization, those services have contributed to graduation rates well above national averages. Native Forward reports that 69% of its undergraduate scholars earn their degrees, compared with the national graduation rate of 41% for Native students. Graduate scholars complete their degrees at a rate of 95%.
Lillian Sparks Robinson, a citizen of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe and chair of Native Forward’s Board of Directors, said the gift represents both an opportunity and a responsibility.
“The MacKenzie Scott gift is a statement of trust and Native Forward takes that responsibility seriously,” Robinson said. “On behalf of the Board, I am proud to share that we are directing every dollar toward Native students.”
Robinson also announced a new fundraising goal to grow the organization’s permanent endowment from $40 million to $100 million, saying the expanded fund would help ensure future generations of Native students have access to higher education.
Founded in 1969, Native Forward Scholars Fund has supported more than 22,000 students representing more than 500 Tribal Nations across all 50 states. The organization has distributed more than $350 million in scholarships, helping Native students pursue undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees while strengthening leadership within Tribal Nations and Native communities.
