May 18, 2023 Behind the Scenes of MacKenzie Scott’s Open Call — and a New Service that Emulates Her Approach May 18, 2023/ Mike Scutari Registration for Yield Giving’s open call for proposals closed in early May. Cecilia Conrad of Lever for Change, which is running the competition, shares early findings and a new service allowing others to replicate the process.Read More
May 11, 2023 An Audacious Effort to Transform the Foster Care System Gets a Big Funding Boost May 11, 2023/ Connie Matthiessen Think of Us has a bold mission: to transform the foster care system from the ground up. The organization’s approach, which elevates those with lived experience, landed a major haul from The Audacious Project and others. Read More
April 25, 2023 “Defend, Develop, Decolonize.” Inside NDN Collective, a Thriving Backer of Indigenous Causes April 25, 2023/ Connie Matthiessen NDN Collective, a growing philanthropic intermediary and organizing force, works to build Indigenous power and has racked up an impressive array of backers. Its leaders would still like to see philanthropy go further and move faster.Read More
April 19, 2023 Who’s Providing Funding for Women and Girls’ Mental Health? April 19, 2023/ Connie Matthiessen Philanthropic funding specifically addressing women and girls’ mental health remains vanishingly small. Some funders have been paying attention, though, and the organization Mindful Philanthropy wants to grow their ranks.Read More
April 11, 2023 Is MacKenzie Scott the Leading Social Justice Funder? Yes and No April 11, 2023/ Michael Hamill Remaley MacKenzie Scott has moved huge sums to social justice groups, but should we think of her chiefly as a social justice funder? What exactly is a social justice funder, anyway? We took at close look at 20 grants in search of answers. Read More
March 22, 2023 MacKenzie Scott's Open Call Is Live. Here's What You Need to Know March 22, 2023/ Philip Rojc Yield Giving teased an open call for applications last year, and now it’s here. Scott’s giving away 250 gifts of $1 million apiece, offering community organizations in the U.S. a chance to “nominate themselves.” Read More
February 24, 2023 Here Are Four Major National Funders Supporting Rural America February 24, 2023/ Martha Ramirez Rural communities are chronically overlooked by large national funders, with most rural grantmaking coming from place-based or regional givers. It’s a short list, but here are a few bigger names to note.Read More
January 31, 2023 With Big Backing From MacKenzie Scott and More, Co-Impact Targets Global Gender Inequality January 31, 2023/ Liz Longley Co-Impact seeks to improve health, education and economic outcomes for women across the Global South by tackling underlying forces at play. Here’s why the philanthropic collaborative has been a big draw for funders.Read More
January 10, 2023 A Matter of Trust: With a Big Boost from MacKenzie Scott, GiveDirectly is on the Rise January 10, 2023/ Liz Longley GiveDirectly, a leader in the push to give unconditional cash donations to those in need, has grown significantly since the pandemic hit. Part of that growth is a result of some huge gifts from MacKenzie Scott. Read More
January 05, 2023 MacKenzie Scott Is Funding to Empower People Globally. Here’s What We Know About Her Priorities January 05, 2023/ Liz Longley and Tate Williams At the end of the year, we gained a lot of new data about what MacKenzie Scott is funding, including a growing international portfolio. Here’s what we’re learning based on the latest donations and a new database.Read More
December 21, 2022 Green Heavyweights: The Nation’s 25 Largest Environmental Grantmakers December 21, 2022/ Michael Kavate We compiled a list of the top green funders in the U.S., based on the most recent full year of giving data available. One big takeaway: Living billionaires now dominate the list.Read More
December 15, 2022 MacKenzie Scott’s Website and Grants Database Have Arrived, Open Call for Applications on the Way December 15, 2022/ Michael Kavate and Tate Williams The long-awaited website detailing MacKenzie Scott’s norm-shattering philanthropic project is here — complete with a searchable grants database and dollar amounts. The site also brings some good news for those hoping to apply.Read More
December 06, 2022 MacKenzie Scott Is Proving What We All Knew: Generous, Unrestricted Giving Works December 06, 2022/ Mike Scutari A report from the Center for Effective Philanthropy looks at how MacKenzie Scott’s gifts have transformed recipient organizations. We look at some of the key strengths and downsides to her approach.Read More
November 29, 2022 MacKenzie Scott’s Latest Round Gives a Big Boost to LGBTQ Groups at a Critical Moment November 29, 2022/ Dawn Wolfe MacKenzie Scott has backed LGBTQ groups since she first got started in 2022, but her latest round took that support to the next level, including funding for trans rights and intersectional groups, big and small. Read More
November 22, 2022 Green Groups Got Another Chunk of MacKenzie Scott's Billions. What Kind of Work Does She Fund? November 22, 2022/ Michael Kavate The billionaire philanthropist has sent millions to environmental nonprofits, but they remain a lower priority for the mega-donor thus far. What does this latest round of giving tell us about her priorities in this space?Read More
November 16, 2022 For MacKenzie Scott, Health Foundations Offer a Path to Advancing Equity in Rural America November 16, 2022/ Connie Matthiessen In her latest round of funding, MacKenzie Scott backed several health conversion foundations in rural communities. The support could go a long way in areas that rarely see an influx of high-dollar philanthropy.Read More
November 15, 2022 MacKenzie Scott’s Far-Reaching Giving Continues to Grow. What Impact Is She Having? November 15, 2022/ Philip Rojc Another update from America’s most exciting mega-donor shows an ever-evolving set of focus areas, which now include charter schools and lots of global giving. One question we still have: How does it all fit together?Read More
July 07, 2022 With Roe v. Wade Overturned, Who Is Funding the Fight for Abortion Rights and Access? July 07, 2022/ Connie Matthiessen After the reversal of Roe v. Wade, there is more need than ever for philanthropy to step up for reproductive justice. Here’s a list of funders who are supporting abortion rights — including a couple of hopefuls.Read More
June 15, 2022 Built on the Idea of Transparency, Candid Outlines Plans for MacKenzie Scott Windfall June 15, 2022/ Liz Longley Candid is one of dozens of philanthropy- and nonprofit-supporting organizations that have received funding from MacKenzie Scott and Dan Jewett. The group just publicly shared what it plans to do with the money. Read More
June 15, 2022 This Funder Collaborative Is All About Fostering Pluralism. Can It Succeed? June 15, 2022/ Philip Rojc The New Pluralists funder collaborative is tackling polarization head-on, focusing on “culture change” on the community level. Its approach has attracted diverse backing, but can it really make a difference?Read More