MacKenzie Scott, a multimillionaire philanthropist, gave $8 million to Cara Collective, a workforce development organisation in Chicago. According to the group, the gift is its biggest donation to date.
Scott has given more than $270 million to Chicago-based organisations over the previous few years; this is his most recent gift to a nonprofit organisation in the area.
“This investment is a testament to the dedication of our community who helped us reach this incredible moment,” Kathleen Caliento, president and CEO of Cara Collective, said in a news release. “It is also an acknowledgment of the work Cara Collective has done to support thousands of job seekers in finding gainful employment opportunities.”
The nonprofit will be able to expand its reach, expand its workforce development programmes, and reinvest in its employees thanks to the unrestricted contribution, which is typical of Scott donations, the organisation stated. According to the news release, the donation would assist Cara Collective go closer to realising its mission of “fueling a courageous national movement to eradicate relational and financial poverty.”
The non-profit was chosen by Scott’s charity organisation Yield Giving, which employs what it terms a “quiet research” procedure to unbiasedly identify and assess organisations “working to advance the opportunities of people in underserved communities.”
A $250 million Open Call campaign for organisations “working with people and in places experiencing the greatest need” was just announced by Scott’s organisation, according to their website.
Scott has pledged to donate more than half of her money, the majority of which is the result of her divorce from Jeff Bezos, the chief executive of Amazon, by signing The Giving Pledge. According to Forbes, she is currently worth $34 billion.