When Angelique Albert, the CEO of the Indigenous Forward Scholars Foundation received a call from Mackenzie Scott’s representative, she initially thought her organization would receive a $15 million donation. In fact, the gift is $50 million from the largest scholarship provider in the United States. “Why are you crying?” Albert told the observer.
Scott’s contribution is one of the largest nonprofit gifts ever, marking the second time that philanthropists have supported the Local Forward Scholar Foundation with unrestricted donations. In 2020, she donated $20 million to the group, enabling it to launch an endowment fund, create six programs and strengthen its internal operations.
This time, Albert was determined to pass the money directly to the students. Local Forward has designated a portion of the donation to award scholarships to another 400 students, while also considering creating a combined endowment to ensure long-term support.
“I don’t know how transformative people really understand the way you get a $5,000 scholarship and give it to the hands of smart and talented people,” said Albert, who has led locals since 2017.
Alumni supported by Albuquerque-backed nonprofits include Debra Haaland, the first local to serve as U.S. cabinet secretary. Pritmaker finalist Tommy Orange; Cynthia Chavez Lamar, director of the Smithsonian National Museum.
Founded in 1969, the Local Forward provides scholarships, programming, funding and mentoring for Indigenous students pursuing undergraduate, graduate and professional opportunities. Its impact includes contributing 1,700 law degrees and 2,200 doctoral degrees. Degrees, which provide approximately 22,000 scholars from over 500 tribes in all 50 states.
Still, demand far outweighs supply. “We can only fund students who apply, and this is a typical year,” Albert said, noting that scholarship applications soared 35% in 2025. There are about 7,000 applicants this year, with only 1,000 receiving assistance.
Albert attributes the increase in demand to the rollback of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies, and the latest changes in the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). “It is crucial that we intend to carry out this funding so that we can continue to be made available to students in the most influential way in the future,” she said.
Scott’s gifts are consistent with the scale and flexibility of a broader trust-based approach to charity, which relies on quiet research and major, unrestricted donations. Since pledging to donate most of her wealth in 2019, an estimated net worth of $33.1 billion (related to her Amazon stock) has been linked to her Amazon shares.
Her dedication is increasingly emphasizing education. In September, she donated $70 million to UNCF, a nonprofit that supports the historic Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUS), which strengthens donations from more than 30 schools in the U.S.
“She is changing the landscape of local higher education, not to mention all other areas she is impacting,” Albert said of the philanthropist. Given the transformative results of the 2020 Gift, she is eager to see what this new product will achieve. “It’s very different from the world five years ago and I look forward to seeing what it looks like for five years.”
