Native Forward Scholars Fund Employee Directory
Higher EducationNew Mexico, United States11-50 Employees
Native Forward Scholars Fund is a major direct scholarship provider for Native students in the United States within the higher education sector. It awards roughly $15 million annually and has distributed about $400 million since inception, supporting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degree candidates with both scholarship funding and related support services. Based in San Mateo, New Mexico, the organization operates with a small to mid-sized team and serves students from more than 500 Tribes across all 50 states. It collaborates with Tribes, corporations, foundations, government agencies, non-profits, and academic institutions to meet scholarship needs and expand opportunities. A notable recent development is a 2026 partnership with Western Washington University to host a Tribal & Institutional Partner Convening in Bellingham, uniting tribal education leaders and higher education partners around scholarship opportunities.