Franke Family’s $25 Million Gift Advances Rural and Native Health

Strong health care begins with enough clinicians to serve every community.

A Historic Gift for Rural and Indigenous Health

On June 5, 2026, William and Carolyn Franke and their family gave $25 million to the University of Washington School of Medicine, creating the Franke Medical Student Scholars Program. UW Medicine calls it the largest known family gift for rural medical education in the nation. A $20 million endowment will cover half of tuition for roughly 30 students each year who commit to serving rural and Native populations across the WWAMI region — Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho. Another $4.5 million funds recruitment and the new W.A. Franke Rural Medical Education Summit.

The Clinician Shortage Runs Deep Across Indian Country

The need is urgent. The WWAMI region ranks 50th in physicians per capita and is home to more than 500,000 Native people. Within the Indian Health Service, the GAO documented a 25% provider vacancy rate, while physician vacancies reached 46% in areas such as Billings, Montana. The need is clear.

A Family With Decades of Giving

The Frankes have championed higher education for decades. Bill Franke, founder of Indigo Partners, and his family gave $24 million to the University of Montana in 2016, $25 million to the University of Arizona in 2021, and an earlier $25 million to Northern Arizona University in 2007. They have also supported the Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine. This latest gift extends a long record of investing in students, Native practitioners, and Indigenous communities.

At Ellsworth, a 100% Navajo-owned, ISBEE-certified Native owned small business, we celebrate every gift that strengthens native health and culture awareness across Indian Country! Training more Native practitioners protects Our Relatives, our elders, and the generations who follow. Ellsworth stands ready to connect Indigenous clinicians with the facilities that need them most. Support the next generation of healers — because every community deserves a doctor who knows them!