For thousands of years, the Yurok people have looked to the Klamath River Basin close to California’s northern border for a rich variety of nutritional and cultural sustenance: salmon from the river, elk and berries from the forests, and mussels and clams along the coast, among other culturally significant species. But the arrival of European settlers in the 19th century brought changes that impeded tribal members’ ability to harvest on their ancestral territories.

With the philanthropy world on the precipice of revolutionary change, UCLA School of Law has established the Program on Philanthropy and Nonprofits, devoted to cutting-edge research, training, and policy in this dynamic and evolving area of the law and society. It will reside within the law school’s Lowell Milken Institute for Business Law and Policy (LMI).

Sharp and enthusiastic, Ashley Anderson was broadly engaged as a high school student in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. Varsity captain of the academic team. National Honor Society member. Two-time participant in the VEX Robotics World Championship, where she competed against kids from communities far from her home in Cherokee County. And through college at Harvard University and the years that followed, Anderson developed a strong focus and sense of purpose — a motivating ethic that she can now put into action as a Graton Scholar at UCLA School of Law.