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On June 15, 2021, MacKenzie Scott and her husband, Dan Jewett, announced $2.74 billion in gifts to 286 organizations. The recipients included community nonprofits, arts groups, colleges and organizations working on racial justice and discrimination. Contemporary coverage described the grants as unrestricted, meaning recipients could decide how to use the money.
How much did MacKenzie Scott donate, and how many organizations received gifts?
The June 15, 2021 announcement covered $2.74 billion for 286 organizations, according to Axios. That is the total for the round, not an amount each organization received. The cited reporting does not provide a full recipient-by-recipient award breakdown; consult Yield Giving’s gift database before relying on a specific organization’s grant amount.
Who received MacKenzie Scott’s $2.74 billion donation?
The grants went to organizations with varied missions and locations. Scott said the recipients worked in areas that had historically been underfunded and overlooked. Examples reported at the time included:
- Arts organizations: Arts Forward Fund and Art for Justice Fund.
- Colleges: Cal Poly Pomona and Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College.
- Community and equity-focused groups: Black Led Movement Fund and Emerging LGBTQ Leaders of Color Fund.
- Organizations outside the United States: TIME reported that the round included Ushahidi in Kenya and Piramal Swasthya in India, alongside organizations across the 50 U.S. states.
These examples illustrate the range of recipients; they are not a complete list. See TIME’s contemporaneous report for additional coverage.
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Were MacKenzie Scott’s donations restricted?
Contemporaneous reporting described the gifts as unrestricted: recipients could choose how to use the funds rather than follow donor-imposed spending conditions. TIME also reported that organizations did not apply for these grants, contrasting the selection approach with lengthy proposal and evaluation processes. Yield Giving’s current description similarly presents the approach as giving up control so nonprofit teams may use gifts as they see fit: Yield Giving.
Scott’s announcement emphasized that donors should not dominate accounts of social change. As quoted by Axios, she wrote: “People struggling against inequities deserve center stage in stories about change they are creating.” She also wrote: “Putting large donors at the center of stories on social progress is a distortion of their role.” These are Scott’s stated views in the 2021 announcement, not independent findings about the recipients or effects of the grants.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What is known about the effects of Scott’s giving?
The Center for Effective Philanthropy (CEP) reports that its multiyear research repeatedly found that Scott’s very large unrestricted gifts transformed recipient organizations and influenced the communities they serve. CEP cautions that understanding the full effects on nonprofits and the wider philanthropic sector could take decades. Those findings concern her broader giving program; they do not measure outcomes for every organization in the June 2021 round.
CEP’s study summary provides dated reference points for that broader program:
- 2020: The July 2020 round cited in the study summary gave $1.7 billion to 116 organizations.
- 2025: At publication of CEP’s final study, it reported more than $19 billion given to more than 2,000 organizations cumulatively. This is a historical snapshot from 2025, not a current cumulative total.
Source: Center for Effective Philanthropy’s study summary.
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