Minnesota Girl Scouts get part of MacKenzie Scott's record $85M donation
MINNEAPOLIS – The Girl Scouts of the USA received their largest donation in organization history Tuesday.
Nearly $85 million will go to troops across the country, including more than $4 million for the Minnesota and Wisconsin River Valleys chapter.
CEO Tish Bolger says she burst into tears when she found out that the 19,000 Girl Scouts in Minnesota and Wisconsin would be receiving that donation.
"Organizations that serve girls and women get less than 2% of philanthropic dollars, and we know that investing in girls and women will change the world," Bolger said.
The donation is from billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. She is the ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. Scott has donated more than $12 billion of her wealth in the past three years, with a focus on racial equity – something the girl scouts are also taking on.
"We really need to address the emerging needs that girls have right now. We want to do that in the context of racial justice and anti-racism strategies and actions," Bolger said.
During the pandemic, membership in the Girl Scouts dropped by about 30%, or 400,000 girls. Leaders say this donation will help them rebuild the ranks and take their mission even further.
That mission is more than cookies - but those cookies do play an important part.
"When you think about financial literacy, it's the largest program in the world for girls," Bolger said. "We're involved in STEM education. We're involved in healthy living, in getting girls outside, in wellness, in mental health."
Earlier this year, Scott also donated millions of dollars to Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity and Junior Achievement North.
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