Billionaire philanthropist Mackenzie Scott awards $7M to Oregon, SW Washington nonprofits

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Amazon co-founder and novelist Mackenzie Scott has donated another $640 million to small organizations in the U.S., with $7 million dedicated to nonprofits in Oregon and Southwest Washington.

The billionaire, and ex-wife of Jeff Bezos, announced the donations through her philanthropic initiative Yield Giving. According to Lever for Change, the organization that accepted the donation applications, Scott initially pledged to distribute $250 million across 250 nonprofits.

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Earlier this week, it was unveiled that she more than doubled her pledge.

“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 on the Yield Giving website.

With a $2 million award, Portland’s Raphael House was one of four regional nonprofits to benefit from the donation. The organization serves victims of abuse by providing emergency shelter, prevention education, peer support groups and more.

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The Portland-based Familias En Acción also received $2 million toward its goal of improving the health and well-being of Oregon’s Latino community. The nonprofit’s programs focus on sexual health, climate equity programs and nutritrition.

Jackson Street Youth Services, which serves homeless youth between the ages of 10 and 24 in Linn, Benton, Lincoln counties, was awarded $1 million.

“This money will immediately help us pay off our new Youth Service Center in Albany, and expand our staff benefits,” JSYS wrote on Instagram. “We’ll be strategizing with our leadership team and Board of Directors to ensure that additional funds get put to good use in a sustainable way that aligns with our current Strategic Plan.”

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Council for the Homeless in Clark County was donated $2 million that will help advance its homeless response system.

According to Lever for Change, award amounts were dependent on the score that organizations received in the review process.

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