MacKenzie Scott's $640 million donation will benefit several Massachusetts nonprofits
BOSTON - Several Massachusetts-based organizations are getting part of a $640 million donation from billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott to small nonprofits around the country.
Scott, who divorced Amazon founder Jeff Bezos in 2019, has given away $16.5 billion of the fortune she came into.
Scott wrote on her "Yield Giving" website, which tracks her donations, that the selected organizations are "vital agents of change."
"From a pool of over 6,000 applicants, each of these 361 community-led non-profits 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," Scott said.
"Transformative gift"
The Sportsmen's Tennis & Enrichment Center in Dorchester received $2 million, it announced Tuesday. Sportsmen's has taught tennis and life skills to thousands of underserved youth in Boston.
"We are incredibly grateful for this transformative gift, and the vote of confidence that this investment represents from the Yield Giving," Sportsmen's CEO Toni Wiley said in a statement. "This $2 Million grant is transformational for Sportsmen's current programs, our capital campaign and our future legacy."
Boston-based Lawyers for Civil Rights also received $2 million.
"This is a new day for LCR, with significant and flexible resources that will allow us to take risks, test bold new ideas, and bring our vision of equity and justice to life," the organization said.
Yield Giving recipients in Massachusetts
Here is the list of organizations serving Massachusetts that received $1 million or $2 million from Scott, via Yield Giving:
Massachusetts Advocates for Children
DEAF, Inc.
Collective Power for Reproductive Justice
Federation for Children with Special Needs
Coalition for a Better Acre (Dracut, Haverhill, Lowell)
Quincy Asian Resources
Sportsmen's Tennis & Enrichment Center (Boston)
La Colaborativa (Chelsea)
The Center for Teen Empowerment (Boston, Somerville)
Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility (Danvers)
The Second Step (Middlesex County, Suffolk County, Norfolk)
English for New Bostonians (Boston)
Smart from the Start (Boston)
Pathway Adult Education & Training (Lynn)
John F. Kennedy Family Services Center (Boston)
Family Nurturing Center of Massachusetts (Boston)
Lawyers for Civil Rights (Boston)
Community Access to the Arts (Berkshire County)