MINNEAPOLIS — Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott has once again extended her generosity to Minnesotans, awarding millions in grants for several community-focused nonprofits this week.
Scott's Yield Giving organization awarded the nonprofits after three rounds of peer and external panel evaluation that narrowed down an initial pool of more than 6,000 applicants from across the country. Earlier this week, Scott upped the ante from her initial pledge of $1 million to 250 organizations this time around, to instead, award $640 million to 361 worthy groups totaling $1, $2 and $3 million each.
Since starting Yield Giving, Scott, cofounder of Amazon and billionaire philanthropist, has shelled out over $17.3 billion to more than 2,300 nonprofit teams in America.
In a statement on Yield Giving's website, Scott called the organizations "vital agents of change."
"From a pool of over 6,000 applicants, each of these 361 community-led nonprofits was elevated by peer organizations and a round-2 evaluation panel for their outstanding work advancing the voices and opportunities of individuals and families of meager or modest means, and groups who have met with discrimination and other systemic obstacles. Grateful to Lever for Change and everyone on the evaluation and implementation teams for their roles in creating this pathway to support for people working to improve access to foundational resources in their communities. They are vital agents of change."
Twin Cities-based organizations OutFront Minnesota and WellShare International were among the Minnesota recipients, each receiving $2 million as part of Scott's Yield Giving Open Call. The March 2023 initiative focused efforts toward community-led and -focused organizations, whose goal is to help people improve their wellbeing.
“For more than 35 years, OutFront Minnesota has worked to advance LGBTQ+ equity in the state of Minnesota," said OutFront Executive Director Kat Rhon, in a statement. "This is an extraordinary opportunity for our organization at a time when Minnesota continues to reshape the national narrative around LGBTQ+ rights."
WellShare International Executive Director Michelle Heerey also released a statement following the announcement, calling Scott's grant "validating."
"Our mission continues to be at the crossroads of 3 of the most important issues of our time: access to quality care, migration and social equity," Heerey said. "It is so validating to see a national entity of this caliber not only invest in making a difference in health equity, but to do so by supporting WellShare’s unique community health worker approach.”
OutFront and WellShare were among nine total organizations in Minnesota to receive donations. The others include Appetite for Change, ISAIAH, Gender Justice, Build Wealth Minnesota, Twin Cities R!se, Dream of Wild Health and CAPI USA.
Of course, this isn't Scott's first round of donations granted to area organizations. Last year, she gave Southside Community Health Services $2.6 million to put toward a new health center in Minneapolis' Phillips neighborhood, and before that, Scott had already donated millions toward other local nonprofits, including, Girl Scouts of Minnesota and Wisconsin River Valleys, Junior Achievement North, and Big Brothers Big Sisters Twin Cities, among others.
For more information about Scott's philanthropic project, Yield Giving Open Call, and other initiatives, click here.
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