The College of Menominee Nation announces the receipt of a landmark charitable gift from the MacKenzie Scott Foundation. This $10 million unrestricted investment demonstrates a deep understanding and confidence in the college’s mission and decision-making when it comes to serving students and communities.
This historic gift significantly enhances CMN’s capacity to provide high-quality academic programs, bolster support structures for student success and create further professional and academic pathways.
“This remarkable act of generosity and kindness arrives at a critical time,” said Christopher Caldwell, president of CMN.
Tribal colleges and universities serve as higher education pillars of tribal sovereignty and self-determination, often while operating on limited budgets in underserved tribal, rural and urban communities. Yet, recent economic impact studies (2022-23 data) show a $4.6 billion collective impact across TCU Indian Country, and a conservative estimate of $16 million total alumni impact across the tribal lands and state counties that CMN serves directly.
“As we dream of our future, this gift allows us to accelerate our work and deepen our impact,” said Caldwell. “The donor’s belief in our mission empowers CMN to pursue our purpose with increased determination. We will seek to invest in our future through endowments, while supporting the needs of today. This worldview of generational care is a teaching from our elders and ancestors, exemplified in our tribe’s forest management system and our educational system.”
