I’m thrilled to share the exciting news that MakeWay is about to receive a transformative gift of USD 15million from MacKenzie Scott. You might have heard of this disruptive philanthropist who has been making headlines in the past few years with her ground breaking approach to giving. Scott publicly disclosed this gift today in her blog post where she names 465 other incredible groups she has given to with a focus on “organizations that support the ability of all people to participate in solutions.”
How did this come about you may ask? Well, several months ago I was approached by some folks wanting to know more about the remarkable work of MakeWay “on behalf an anonymous donor”. Several emails were exchanged and conversations held. Then a few days ago I received a confidential phone call from one of MacKenzie’s advisors telling us the amount and that this gift comes with no strings attached. I only wish you were all there to hug or dance with when I got off the call!
We believe that this could be one of Scott’s first gifts to a national charity in Canada. We couldn’t be more humbled. And what timing. Because today our Board just approved our ambitious new strategy that we’ve worked on all year. With seven bold priorities, this strategy will support transformative change for nature and communities to thrive together. Please have a read of it here!
We know that MacKenzie Scott has committed to bold generous giving in trust-based ways. Her approach aligns with MakeWay’s commitments to significantly shift power in this sector (see the newly launched Right Relations Collaborative) and put more decision-making into the hands of community leaders.
We have a deep responsibility to steward these funds in a good way to advance community-led transformation—while also leveraging this gift to create even greater positive impact. We truly look forward to this journey with you!
With my very warmest regards,
Joanna
Ps. The National Observer has just done a story about this news – see here
