BELLINGHAM — Billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott just couldn’t decide on the 250 organizations she wanted to donate $1 million to, so she picked 361 instead.
Last year, the Amazon co-founder invited nonprofits to apply for $1 million grants through her organization, Yield Giving. The open call was met with over 6,000 applications. Apparently, Scott and her team were so impressed with the applicants that they upped the grants to $2-million for 279 of the organizations, and awarded $1-million to another 82.
These are the Washington organizations that made the cut.
Nine Washington organizations received $2-million grants:
- The Technology Access Foundation has operated in the Seattle area for nearly three decades. The organization aims to improve equity in education by making technology more accessible.
- Northwest Education Access provides college preparation and career counseling services to low-income students. After starting in the Seattle area, the organization now operates in King, Pierce and Snohomish Counties.
- Open Arms Perinatal Services provides support to parents before, during and after childbirth. The organization ensures that its services are culturally-responsive and community based, according to its website.
- Front and Centered is a policy research and advocacy group aiming to fight the disproportionate effect that climate change has on Indigenous communities, communities of color, and low-income people.
- The Council for the Homeless advocates for Clark County’s homeless population. The organization attempts to build ground-up, community-based leadership structures to find solutions to homelessness in the area.
- Interfaith Works serves the Olympia area through social action and educational projects, all while uniting communities of different faiths. While it traces its roots to Christian groups in Olympia over 50 years ago, it has since expanded its reach to include Baha’i, Buddhist, Jewish and Muslim groups as well.
- The East African Community Services runs after-school and mentorship programs for youth in the Seattle area’s East African immigrant and refugee populations.
- The Whatcom Center for Early Learning operates in Bellingham and Ferndale, providing care, counseling and educational support to children with developmental delays and disabilities.
- Arts Corps, a Seattle-based nonprofit, aims to make the arts more accessible. It provides arts education opportunities to 2,500 Seattle-area students, most of whom come from low-income families.
One Washington organization received a $1-million grant:
The Mockingbird Society hosts programs and advocates for policy changes aimed at helping youth who have gone through the foster care system or homelessness. The organization is based in Seattle but has regional chapters in Everett, Tacoma, Olympia, Yakima and Spokane as well.
