- Details
- By Tribal Business News Staff
- Higher Education
Native Forward Scholars Fund will invest $40 million of a $50 million gift from MacKenzie Scott into a permanent endowment, using the remaining $10 million to expand scholarships for Native students over the next five years.
The allocation, announced Wednesday, commits 80% of the donation to an investment fund designed to generate future scholarship income. The remaining $10 million will provide about $2 million in additional scholarship awards annually through 2031.
The strategy reflects a balancing act facing many Native-serving nonprofits: addressing immediate financial need while building permanent assets that can reduce reliance on annual fundraising.
Native Forward said applications continue to increase as higher education costs rise. The organization estimates its scholarship recipients face an average unmet financial need of $26,000.
"For Native students, the path to higher education has never been without barriers — and yet, generation after generation, they persist," said Angelique Albert (Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes), the organization's chief executive officer.
Board Chair Lillian Sparks Robinson (Rosebud Sioux Tribe) said Native Forward plans to seek additional donations to grow the endowment to $100 million.
Founded in 1969, Native Forward has awarded more than $350 million in scholarships to more than 22,000 students from more than 500 Tribal Nations. The organization pairs financial aid with advising and mentorship programs and says its undergraduate scholars graduate at a 69% rate, compared with a national rate of 41% for Native students.
