Dr. Megan Bang, an Ojibwe scholar at Northwestern University, will become the first person to self-identify as Native American to serve on the MacArthur Foundation's Board of Directors when she joins in September 2025.
The June 16 announcement comes just four days after the Chicago-based foundation launched a Native self-determination program, committing to increase funding and deepen partnerships with Indigenous communities following more than two years of consultation with Native leaders.
Bang, the James E. Johnson Professor of the Learning Sciences and director of the Center for Native American and Indigenous Research at Northwestern, brings decades of experience working with Indigenous communities on education and cultural preservation. Her board position provides additional Native perspective on the foundation's new Indigenous-focused initiatives.
The MacArthur Foundation, known for its "genius grants" and $8 billion endowment, developed its Native self-determination program after conversations with more than 100 Indigenous knowledge holders, entrepreneurs, artists, and scientists. The foundation has awarded more than $109 million in grants to Indigenous organizations over the past decade.
Bang's research focuses on human learning and decision-making related to climate change, adaptation, and sustainability. She has worked extensively with Indigenous communities on intergenerational education programs designed to support planetary and communal well-being. Her Northwestern University bio describes her as Ojibwe and of Italian descent.
Before joining Northwestern, Bang served as senior vice president at the Spencer Foundation, which funds educational research and training. She holds membership in several prestigious academic organizations, including the National Academies of Education and the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. Dr. Mariko Silver, president and CEO of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, will also join the MacArthur board at its June 2025 meeting. Silver previously led the Henry Luce Foundation, where she more than doubled funding commitments to Indigenous communities during her tenure.
"I am eager for Megan and Mariko to bring their perspectives to the table," MacArthur President John Palfrey said in a statement. "Their track records of driving meaningful change—while bringing partners along and ensuring a wide range of voices are heard—reflect the collaborative leadership we welcome at the Foundation."
The foundation's Native self-determination program includes plans to incorporate Indigenous perspectives across all grantmaking programs. MacArthur has established a compensated advisory council to guide funding priorities that includes Carla Fredericks, member of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation and CEO of The Christensen Fund; Dr. Shelly C. Lowe, Navajo, former chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities; and Nichole June Maher, Alaska Native, president and CEO of the Inatai Foundation.
The board of directors sets policy and strategy for the organization, approves grantmaking initiatives, and oversees the foundation's investment portfolio.
Disclosure: Native News Online, a sister publication of Tribal Business News, has received grant funding from the MacArthur Foundation. The foundation had no involvement in the reporting or editing of this story.
