Mackenzie Scott has donated $281 million to Boys and Girls Clubs of America and 62 local Boys and Girls Clubs across the country, the 160-year-old nonprofit announced Thursday. This is Scott’s largest public gift.
Scott donated $25 million of the total to the organization’s national office in Atlanta, with the remainder of her $256 million gift to be divided to varying degrees among 62 local clubs, according to a Boys & Girls Clubs of America spokeswoman. She said decisions about the amounts were made by Scott and her advisers.
The clubs offer a variety of extra-curricular, weekend and summer programs for young people focused on homework, the arts, STEM, leadership, mentorship, recreation and sports, and more. Many of the clubs operate in underserved areas. Like all of Scott’s previous donations since 2020, the gift has no limits.
“Gifts like this are rare and have an incredible impact,” said Jim Clark, president and chief executive officer of the organization, in a press release. “This is a historic moment for our organization and the clubs that have received significant support from Mackenzie Scott. We now know more than ever that with the right support system, positive mentoring and opportunities, children can thrive.”
Experts say they are excited about this gift because it can help young people and their families in need, and because it is for a charity with a long history of developing programs that keep up with the times and needs of young people.
“They are at the core of the youth development industry, and they are always responsive to the needs of families and communities,” said Eric Peterson, senior vice president of policy for the Afterschool Alliance, a national nonprofit dedicated to providing affordable and high-quality after-school programs are available to all young people. “Their programs have evolved over time, and they’re constantly evolving.”
Scott’s latest gift is important not only because of the dollar amount, but because, like almost all of her philanthropy, it goes to charities that don’t usually bring in such large sums, said Tyrone Freeman, assistant professor of philanthropic studies and director of programs. bachelor’s degree from Indiana University’s Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.
“She won’t go to the usual suspects,” Freeman said. “She really encourages people to think bigger and about bands doing work in the field and in the mix who are really doing something for their communities.”
The donation appears to be part of the fourth round of Scott donations she announced in December. It is also the latest in a series of donations Scott has made to major national nonprofits with dozens or more local chapters scattered across the country that provide services to people in marginalized or low-income areas. Giving to national charitable networks is one of the ways Scott’s donations have made an impact in the nonprofit world.
Scott has given $133.5 million to communities in schools to expand its student equity efforts and $50 million to National 4-H Council to expand its work with youth. Both groups announced gifts in February.
In 2020, Scott donated a total of $162 million to disability charity Easterseals to 22 of the group’s 67 affiliates, as well as the national office in Chicago. She has also donated large sums to several chapters of United Way, Goodwill Industries, YMCA, YWCA, and other major groups.
Overall, since 2020, Scott has donated over $8 billion to nearly 900 nonprofits. Forbes estimates her net worth at over $46 billion. Scott wrote in a Giving Pledge letter she signed in 2019 that she intends to continue giving away the majority of her wealth to charities in the coming years. Her husband, Dan Jewett, wrote his own letter promising a donation in 2021.
To see all of Scott’s published donations and to learn about large donations from other donors, see our database of gifts of $1 million or more, which is updated regularly.