MacKenzie Scott, the billionaire philanthropist and author, had promised to give $1 million each to 250 organizations last year through an "open call" for applications. She apparently changed her mind. On Tuesday, she announced she would give $640 million to 361 organizations instead, reports the AP. That makes her organization Yield Giving's first round of donations more than double what Scott had initially pledged in response to applications from nonprofits. Since she began giving away billions in 2019—with a current tally of $16.5 billion—Scott and her team have researched and selected organizations without an application process and provided them with large, unrestricted gifts.
- From the boss: Scott wrote she was grateful to Lever for Change, the organization that managed the "open call," and the evaluators 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."
- Things ballooned: "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," said Lever for Change.
- The pool: Some 6,353 nonprofits applied for the $1 million grants when applications opened. The 279 nonprofits that received top scores from an external review panel were awarded $2 million, while 82 organizations in a second tier received $1 million each. The awardees were selected through a multilayered process, where applicants scored fellow applicants and then the top organizations were reviewed by a panel of outside experts.
- The pool II: The grantees range in focus from those that provide support to people returning from incarceration to the Unusual Suspects Theatre Company, which creates original theater with young people in Los Angeles. Many organizations serve very specific geographies or populations, like Asian Americans in Central Texas or South Asian young people in New York.
(Elon Musk can apparently go suck a lemon.)
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