MacKenzie Scott donates $9 million to Austin organizations
AUSTIN, Texas - Philanthropist and author MacKenzie Scott donated $4.1 billion to 384 organizations, including two in the Austin area.
She said she specifically picked nonprofits that would have a high potential for impact.
“I would want to say that this really enables us to continue to provide the services that we're providing now to keep [seniors] safe and healthy and to be able to age with dignity and independence,” said Adam Hauser, CEO of Meals on Wheels Central Texas which was granted $8 million from Scott.
DOWNLOAD THE FOX 7 AUSTIN NEWS APP
“We’re serving approximately 5,000 people right now in the Central Texas region with all of our services. And with this grant, we'll be able to certainly serve a lot more people and expand what we do,” Hauser added.
“It’s definitely something we'll use. In the short term, especially with the pandemic, we want to be able to continue amplifying more communities of color, especially those that have been affected the most by COVID-19,” said Naya Diaz, executive director of the YWCA of Greater Austin, which was given $1 million by Scott. “It is the largest gift that's given that's been given to us in the history of the organization. So that's huge."
RELATED: MacKenzie Bezos pledges half of $35B fortune to charity
During the pandemic, Austin’s nonprofit organizations have been helping to fill the gaps for communities facing difficulties.
“We realize there's a lot of isolation, fear, anxiety, stress because of the pandemic. So we have had an uptick in calls since the pandemic,” said Diaz.
SIGN UP FOR FOX 7 AUSTIN EMAIL ALERTS
“We’ve seen an increase in demand for our services and, the Austin area, even before COVID hit, has a very fast-growing senior population. And so we were seeing an increase in demand for our services anyway, but of course the pandemic, I think, accelerated that,” Hauser said.
Both Meals on Wheels Central Texas and the YWCA of Greater Austin said they are still in need of volunteers. More information for both organizations is available on their websites.