
MacKenzie Scott donates $640 million after open call for nonprofits
CNN
Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott is giving away $640 million to 361 nonprofits, her organization — Yield Giving — and Lever for Change announced Tuesday, after an open call for applicants.
Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott is giving away $640 million to 361 nonprofits, her organization — Yield Giving — and Lever for Change announced Tuesday, after an open call for applicants. More than 6,000 nonprofit organizations had applied for the funding. Scott ended up giving more than double what the original open call planned for, which was 250 awards of $1 million each, according to Lever for Change, the organization that managed the open call. “In light of the incredible work of these organizations, as judged by their peers and external panelists, the donor team decided to expand the awardee pool and the award amount,” according to Lever for Change. Scott’s giving strategy differs from her ex-husband Jeff Bezos, who she helped with in building Amazon. While Bezos and his fiancée Lauren Sánchez announced a large, splashy $50 million donation each to actress Eva Longoria and retired Admiral Bull McRaven, Scott breaks up her huge sums of philanthropy to hundreds of smaller organizations. The gifts are transformative for many recipients. Gender Justice, an organization that aims to advance gender equality, said it received a $2 million donation, the largest one-time gift in its history. “This Open Call award helps us take our fight for justice and equity to the next level, continuing our work to dismantle the legal, structural, and cultural barriers that contribute to gender inequity,” said Megan Peterson, Gender Justice’s executive director, in a statement.

It was almost an extraordinary scene in front of the White House. As Tesla shares have been tanking since the year began, President Donald Trump held remarks outside of the White House with the company’s CEO and Department of Government Efficiency Head Elon Musk – all in front of a line of shiny Tesla vehicles.