Native Forward Wins Anthem Award for Social Impact

In the award's most competitive year to date, global platform elevates the impact of access to higher education for Native students. 

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., Nov. 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Native Forward Scholars Fund, the largest direct provider of scholarships for Native students, announced that it has been named a Silver winner in the 4th Annual Anthem Awards in the Education, Art & Culture category. 

Launched in 2021 by The Webby Awards, the Anthem Awards are the largest and most comprehensive social impact award. Anthem Winners are selected by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences. Judges for the 4th Annual Anthem Awards include representatives from organizations such as Pivotal Ventures, Brennan Center for Justice, PepsiCo, NAACP, and McCann Worldgroup.

"This is a critical moment to elevate the impact our communities, alumni, funders, partners, peers, and team have been able to achieve for the next generation of Native leaders," said Native Forward CEO, Angelique Albert. "Our work breaking down systemic barriers to higher education still has a long way to go, and we are grateful to the Anthem community for this recognition and platform to increase visibility for Native students and higher education access.

As a winner, Native Forward joins a network of other impactful organizations such as the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and Susan G. Komen. 

The 4th Annual Anthem Awards was the most competitive season yet with more than 2,300 entries submitted from 34 countries worldwide. By amplifying the voices that spark global change, the Anthem Awards are defining a new benchmark for impactful work that inspires others to take action in their communities. 

About Native Forward:
Native Forward Scholars Fund is the largest direct provider of scholarships to Native students for greater economic mobility, self-determination, and Tribal sovereignty for scholars and Tribal communities. The organization is committed to ensuring that every Native student who wants to pursue higher education has the resources to do so. Over 55 years, it has empowered over 22,000 scholars from more than 500 Tribes in all 50 states and contributed to over 1,700 law degrees and more than 2,200 PhD degrees. By pairing scholarships with meaningful, culturally relevant student support and programming, Native Forward has succeeded in increasing the graduation rates of undergraduate students to 69%, compared to the national average of 41% for Native students, and has boosted the rate for graduate students to 95%. 

About The Anthem Awards:
Launched in 2021 by The Webby Awards, The Anthem Awards honors the purpose & mission-driven work of people, companies and organizations worldwide. By amplifying the voices that spark global change, we're defining a new benchmark for impactful work that inspires others to take action in their own communities. The Anthem Awards honors work across seven core causes: Diversity; Equity & Inclusion; Education; Art & Culture; Health; Human & Civil Rights; Humanitarian Action & Services; Responsible Technology; and Sustainability, Environment & Climate. This season's partners include Ms. Magazine, The Female Quotient, Sustainable Brands, NationSwell, and TheFutureParty. The Awards were founded in partnership with the Ad Council, Born This Way Foundation, Feeding America, Glaad, Mozilla, NAACP, NRDC, WWF, and XQ.

Contact: Josefin Dolsten
[email protected]

SOURCE Native Forward Scholars Fund