Two local organizations recently received sizable donations from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, the former wife of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. The donations are part of Scott's goal to provide "immediate support" to those suffering the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to a Medium post Scott wrote, she asked a team of advisors to evaluate organizations based on their leadership teams, community impact and ability to utilize funding.
In the end, Scott gave to almost 400 organizations, including Goodwill Industries of Michiana and the YWCA of North Central Indiana.
Goodwill received $10 million, the largest donation in its history. In a release, CEO and President Debie Coble says the donation will help Goodwill collaborate with other nonprofits to "fill in the gaps where services are not currently provided for those facing the greatest hardships."
A statement from the YWCA says they were asked not to release a gift amount, but that the funds will further the agency's goal of helping women and children in Elkhart and St. Joseph Counties.
Scott says in her post that all donations were given with "full trust and no strings attached."
Contact Gemma atgdicarlo@wvpe.orgor follow her on Twitter at@gemma_dicarlo.
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