On the eve of its gala and inaugural Hall of Fame event in Washington, D.C., Native Forward Scholars Fund CEO Angelique Albert had a lot to celebrate. As she told Inside Philanthropy, whose piece today examines the national nonprofit’s five decades of impact, Native Forward has helped over 20,000 Native and Indigenous students from over 500 tribes in all 50 states graduate from college. Albert also discussed the powerful impact of an unrestricted gift from MacKenzie Scott – a gift that offers lessons for other funders seeking to transform the landscape of philanthropy.

“We are the subject matter experts when it comes to serving Native students in higher education and helping them persist, helping them to graduate,” said Albert. “To have the freedom to direct those funds in a way that impacted our students the most and allowed us to grow the organization in a way that made sense for us — that was truly transformative.”

The piece examines how Native Forward goes beyond helping to cover tuition costs for the students it serves. The organization also provides ongoing mentorship, financial aid navigation, and other wrap-around services for students, ensuring they graduate and go on to pursue their professional aspirations.

Read more at Inside Philanthropy here.