Key Takeaways
- • MacKenzie Scott, through her philanthropic organization Yield Giving, has donated $70 million unrestricted to the American Indian College Fund, the largest of two investments the Fund has received from the foundation in five years.
- • The gift anchors a seven-year plan that includes a $20 million designated endowment, expanded tribal college scholarships, college success coaching, career training, and wellness programs.
- • The College Fund says only 16% of American Indian and Alaska Native adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, versus 33% nationally, and that less than 1% of U.S. philanthropic investment serves Indian Country.
- • The College Fund cites research that every dollar spent on tribal colleges and universities returns $1.60 to taxpayers, according to a 2025 American Indian Higher Education Consortium study.
Summary
MacKenzie Scott, the former wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, has donated $70 million to the American Indian College Fund through her philanthropic organization, Yield Giving, according to the Times of India report and a press release from the Fund. The gift is unrestricted, giving the College Fund flexibility in allocating resources across its mission. The Fund describes it as the second and largest investment it has received from the foundation in five years.
The College Fund has built a seven-year plan around the gift. According to the organization, the plan will expand scholarships at tribal colleges and universities (TCUs), add college success coaching, wellness and academic resources, internships, career assessment and mentoring, and strengthen pathways from college to careers. It also includes a family-friendly campus initiative, culturally reflective wellness programs, faculty development, expanded institutional capacity, curriculum and research support, and governance training for tribal colleges. A $20 million designated endowment is included to strengthen the Fund's long-term ability to support Native students. CEO Cheryl Crazy Bull said the plan was developed after the Fund consulted Native students, TCU presidents, community members and its board of trustees.
The Fund frames the gift against documented funding gaps. A report released in August by the American Indian College Fund and Brookings, titled "The Underinvestment in Indian Country," found that less than 1% of U.S. philanthropic investment serves Indian Country and that federal investment has reverted to pre-pandemic levels of underfunding. U.S. Census data cited by the Fund show 16% of American Indian and Alaska Native adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, compared with 33% nationally. College Fund research indicates its scholars graduate and enter careers at a rate 1.5 times higher when they receive support beyond scholarships.
The Fund also cites a 2025 study by the American Indian Higher Education Consortium, Building Local Economies of Scale, which estimates each dollar spent on TCUs returns $1.60 to taxpayers.
The College Fund has built a seven-year plan around the gift. According to the organization, the plan will expand scholarships at tribal colleges and universities (TCUs), add college success coaching, wellness and academic resources, internships, career assessment and mentoring, and strengthen pathways from college to careers. It also includes a family-friendly campus initiative, culturally reflective wellness programs, faculty development, expanded institutional capacity, curriculum and research support, and governance training for tribal colleges. A $20 million designated endowment is included to strengthen the Fund's long-term ability to support Native students. CEO Cheryl Crazy Bull said the plan was developed after the Fund consulted Native students, TCU presidents, community members and its board of trustees.
The Fund frames the gift against documented funding gaps. A report released in August by the American Indian College Fund and Brookings, titled "The Underinvestment in Indian Country," found that less than 1% of U.S. philanthropic investment serves Indian Country and that federal investment has reverted to pre-pandemic levels of underfunding. U.S. Census data cited by the Fund show 16% of American Indian and Alaska Native adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, compared with 33% nationally. College Fund research indicates its scholars graduate and enter careers at a rate 1.5 times higher when they receive support beyond scholarships.
The Fund also cites a 2025 study by the American Indian Higher Education Consortium, Building Local Economies of Scale, which estimates each dollar spent on TCUs returns $1.60 to taxpayers.
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