LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 06: Chief Executive Officer of Amazon Jeff Bezos (L) and MacKenzie Bezos attend the SEAN PENN J/P HRO GALA: A Gala Dinner to Benefit J/P Haitian Relief Organization and a Coalition of Disaster Relief Organizations at Milk Studios on January 6, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Greg Doherty/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
<p>MacKenzie Scott, a philanthropist who was formerly married to <a href="https://dev.theshaderoom.com/jeff-bezos-seeking-to-have-historic-dutch-bridge-dismantled-in-order-to-fit-450-million-superyacht/?_gl=1*1garsgd*_up*MQ..*_ga*MjIyMjQyMTQyLjE2Nzk1NzgxNjA.*_ga_V2HX8YP3XL*MTY3OTU4MDkyMC4yLjAuMTY3OTU4MDkyMC4wLjAuMA.." target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jeff Bezos</a>, is gearing up to donate $1M to 250 undecided organizations that are ushering in &#8220;positive change!&#8221;</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">The Philanthropist Is Looking To &#8216;Empower &; Strengthen Communities&#8217; Through Her Open Call</h3>
<p>Through her <a href="https://yieldgiving.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Yield Giving</a> organization, Scott recently announced an &#8220;open call&#8221; for nonprofits to apply for an &#8220;unrestricted&#8221; donation of $1M, according to <a href="https://www.philanthropy.com/article/mackenzie-scott-sets-new-open-call-to-donate-250-million" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Chronicle of Philanthropy</a>.</p>
<p>In light of this decision, MacKenzie Scott notes that the effort serves as a &#8220;new pathway to [provide] support for organizations making positive change in their communities.&#8221;</p>
<p>Eligibility is determined by the nonprofits having annual operating budgets of at least $1M—though no more than $5M—for at least two of the last five years.</p>
<p>Notably, this &#8220;open call&#8221; is the first time that Scott is opening up the opportunity for the nonprofits to reach out for potential donations—as the philanthropist&#8217;s team had been contacting organizations themselves up to this point.</p>
<p>Regarding this exciting opportunity, MacKenzie Scott says it&#8217;s well-deserved, as the people behind these nonprofit organizations &#8220;have insights no one else can offer.&#8221;</p>
<blockquote><p>&#8220;Teams on the front lines of challenges have insights no one else can offer. So there are three big headlines here in my heart: Community changemakers can nominate themselves. Community changemakers get feedback from their peers. Community changemakers have a powerful role in funding decisions.&#8221;</p></blockquote>
<p>Cecilia Conrad, CEO of Lever for Change, adds, &#8220;This open call is designed to empower and strengthen communities across the United States that are often overlooked.&#8221;</p>
<p>Eligible nonprofits can find the open call application <a href="https://www.leverforchange.org/challenges/explore-challenges/yieldgivingopencall" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>. Organizations have to register by May 5 and apply by June 12. Following a selection and evaluation process, 250 winners will be announced in early 2024.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">HBCUs Are Among The Many Entities That MacKenzie Scott Has Blessed So Far</h3>
<p>Speaking of her charitable efforts, we should add that MacKenzie has definitely been busy spreading the joy.</p>
<p>In an <a href="https://mackenzie-scott.medium.com/384-ways-to-help-45d0b9ac6ad8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">open letter</a> published back in late 2020, MacKenzie Scott announced that she had donated nearly $4.2 BILLION to 384 different organizations, including some historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs).</p>
<p>About a year following Scott&#8217;s open letter, administrators from three such institutions—Norfolk State University (NSU), North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (NCA&;T), and Delaware State University (DSU)—spoke on how her donations were utilized, according to <a href="https://www.diverseeducation.com/institutions/hbcus/article/15286550/how-three-hbcus-are-using-mackenzie-scotts-gifts" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Diverse: Issues in Higher Education</a>.</p>
<p>Kenneth Sigmon Jr., NCA&;T&#8217;s vice chancellor for university advancement, noted that the donation &#8220;couldn&#8217;t have come at a better time&#8221; before acknowledging how useful Scott&#8217;s unrestricted donation was, as it didn&#8217;t come with specific restrictions like other funds do.</p>
<blockquote><p>&#8220;For us as a public institution, that allows us to do things we couldn’t otherwise do because of restrictions on the state dollars we get.&#8221;</p></blockquote>
<p style="text-align: center;">Shoutout to MacKenzie Scott for continuing to come through with the philanthropy!</p>
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