From the Center for Effective Philanthropy: “In late July 2020, MacKenzie Scott shocked the philanthropic and nonprofit worlds with the announcement that she had given $1.7 billion to 116 nonprofit organizations. The gifts came in the form of massive, unrestricted grants, with a significant proportion targeted to organizations focused on issues of equity, and were made with no restrictions – only an expectation of an annual three-page letter back to the donor for the three years following their receipt.”
“Since then, she has continued the approach, giving nearly $13 billion as of spring 2022.3 To put that in context, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation made $6.7 billion in grants in 2021.4 Scott’s grants are frequently the largest ever given to recipient organizations and are made without a formal proposal or application process.”
“Often, recipient organizations received word of the grant out of the blue. In other cases, organizations were asked to meet with consultants who represented the donor to answer some vetting questions before a grant was made. Scott’s giving has been influenced by advisors at her family office, Lost Horse LLC, and by consultants at The Bridgespan Group, a nonprofit management consulting firm, and channeled through donor-advised funds (DAFs) at institutions including Fidelity Charitable, the National Philanthropic Trust, and community foundations.”