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- By Levi Rickert
Opinion. It’s an old complaint and one we hear sometimes at Native News Online: Journalists don’t report the good news enough. We understand the sentiment. Day after day, our inboxes and news feeds are filled with the familiar drumbeat of struggles across Indian Country.
Out of a commitment to help improve Indigenous lives, we report on the devastating health disparities, the alarming rates of suicide, the systemic poverty rooted in historical trauma and broken treaties. It’s hard to ignore the gravity of these issues, and it is our job to report on them honestly.
But in our relentless pursuit of justice, we sometimes risk overlooking the moments of triumph and progress that deserve just as much attention.
These are particularly challenging times. The federal government, once again, finds itself mired in a game of politics, and Indian Country is caught in the crossfire. The ongoing government shutdown threatens to halt the delivery of essential services to tribal communities — services the federal government is obligated to provide by its trust and treaty responsibilities.
With a president more concerned about tearing down the White House East Wing, and the House Republicans not doing their job because they are on an extended furlough from Washington, D.C., our people face the very real possibility of food shortages, cuts to already underfunded health services, and strained public safety operations. It’s a disgrace, a familiar cycle of federal inaction that leaves our communities bearing the heaviest burden.
But in the midst of this chaos, a quiet story of hope has been unfolding over the past few years, one that deserves to be told. I’m talking about the unparalleled philanthropic support that has flowed into Indian Country from one extraordinary individual: MacKenzie Scott.
Since her divorce $38 billion settlement with her former husband, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Scott has donated more than $19 billion to over 2,450 organizations.
For decades, Native-led organizations have existed on the financial margins of the philanthropic world. As a 2019 study showed, less than 0.5% of large foundation funding historically went to Native American nonprofits. It’s a systemic underfunding that mirrors the federal government’s chronic neglect. It has forced our community leaders to operate with a scarcity mindset, to constantly chase heavily siloed federal grants that often come with restrictive strings attached, stifling innovation and growth.
Since 2020, Scott has rewritten the entire playbook for how philanthropy can and should operate in Indian Country. She isn’t operating like traditional foundations. She isn’t demanding endless grant proposals, imposing reporting requirement, or dictating how her money must be spent. She is practicing trust-based giving, an approach that recognizes Native leaders know what their communities need better than anyone.
The impact has been transformative.
In December 2024, Scott made what is widely described as the largest private investment ever in Native financial institutions, awarding over $103 million in unrestricted funding to 30 Native Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) across the country. This money, given without restrictions, empowers these institutions to expand access to affordable housing, small business loans, financial education, and clean energy projects. It’s an investment in economic self-determination, an acknowledgment that our communities are best equipped to build their own prosperity. As one Indigenous finance expert told Tribal Business News. “There's never been anything like this—this much, this fast, this focused.”
Her giving extends far beyond financial institutions. In September 2025, she made a landmark $50 million gift to the Native Forward Scholars Fund, a move that will significantly increase scholarships for Native students pursuing higher education. The impact of her earlier gifts has already been seen at institutions like the Institute of American Indian Arts, which used its $5 million grant to grow its endowment and attract new corporate partners. At Native Forward, her grants have enabled the organization to boost scholarships.
This isn’t just about the money. It’s about the ripple effect. When a prominent philanthropist like MacKenzie Scott provides a "seal of approval" with a major gift, it attracts other funders who may have previously overlooked Native organizations. It gives our institutions the stability to strengthen their endowments, retain staff with better pay and benefits, and build long-term capacity. It allows our leaders to focus on their mission, rather than being in a constant fundraising crisis mode.
In a moment where our reliance on a broken federal system has become more evident, MacKenzie Scott’s quiet generosity shines a spotlight on a more equitable, dignified way forward. She is proving that true allyship involves not just listening to Indigenous communities, but trusting them, empowering them, and giving them the tools to create their own futures.
It is a powerful example of good news, and one that Indian Country should celebrate and remember.
Thayék gde nwéndëmen - We are all related.
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Levi Rickert (Potawatomi), Editor & Publisher
