Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott has given $17 million to another nine Twin Cities nonprofits, she and the winning recipients announced Tuesday.

The massive donations, which are usually record amounts for organizations, were given to 361 nonprofits nationwide and are part of a surge in philanthropy from the Seattle billionaire over the last few years.

Scott, 53, an author and the ex-wife of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, has doled out more than $126 million to 34 Minnesota nonprofits since 2020 as part of her pledge to give out a majority of her wealth over her lifetime.

“This really is a game changer for us,” said Mary Niedermeyer, CEO of CAPI USA in Brooklyn Center, which received $2 million to support its programs, including a culturally-specific food shelf. “This type of gift never comes around. It’s unheard of until she started doing this.”

Scott’s private donations are all “unrestricted,” meaning nonprofits can use the funds in whatever way they want, a rarity in philanthropy. Scott also gave to eight other Minnesota nonprofits:

• $2 million to Appetite for Change, which increases access to healthy foods in north Minneapolis
• $1 million to Dream of Wild Health, a Native-led Minneapolis nonprofit that provides culturally-specific food and related programs
• $1 million to ISAIAH, a faith-based, nonpartisan coalition of clergy, congregations and people of faith in St. Paul
• $2 million to OutFront Minnesota, an LGBTQ advocacy organization
• $2 million to WellShare International, a Minneapolis-based public health nonprofit that provides programs in Tanzania and Minnesota
• $2 million to Gender Justice, a St. Paul-based legal and policy advocacy organization
• $2 million to Build Wealth Minnesota, a Minneapolis-based organization that offers financial literacy classes and loan assistance for homeowners
• $3 million to Twin Cities Rise, a north Minneapolis organization helping low-income Minnesotans with job training and career coaching.

“They are vital agents of change,” Scott wrote of the winning organizations on her website Yield Giving, adding that the nonprofits are “advancing the voices and opportunities of individuals and families of meager or modest means, and groups who have met with discrimination and other systemic obstacles.”

David McGee, executive director of Build Wealth Minnesota, teared up when he heard the organization scored $2 million, more than expected.

“I screamed and my whole office ran in,” he said. “We’re elated. It’s a real nice shot in the arm.”

The money will help more Black Minnesotans achieve homeownership. His organization provides loans and closing cost assistance to help narrow the racial disparities in homeownership in the Twin Cities, aiming to help 9,000 families by 2028 reach their goal to own a house.

This week’s round of grants was different from Scott’s past donations, which were a surprise to organizations that hadn’t applied or sought the money before suddenly receiving cryptic notices of an out-of-the-blue donation. This time, Scott’s organization, Yield Giving, put out an open call for applications.

More than 6,000 organizations applied for what was planned to be 250 grants of about $1 million each but Scott and her team decided to more than double that, giving out $640 million to 361 organizations. Only nonprofits with annual budgets between $1 and $5 million were eligible.

Nonprofits that applied also participated in evaluating other organizations, before an evaluation panel made the final decision. It meant going through seven rounds of evaluation before becoming a finalist, said Dream of Wild Health Executive Director Neely Snyder.

“It was kind of a shot in the dark. We didn’t know we’d get it,” Snyder said of applying last year. “We knew it would be very competitive.”

Dream of Wild Health will use its record $1 million donation to expand its programs and amenities on the additional farmland in Hugo the nonprofit bought in 2020, providing more youth programs and space for Native farmers to grow food.

Secretive philanthropy

To be vetted by other nonprofits validates OutFront Minnesota’s nearly 40 decades of work advocating for LGBTQ equity in Minnesota, said Kat Rohn, the nonprofit’s executive director.

“To have our work recognized on the national state is such a huge honor,” Rohn said, adding that the historic $2 million donation will likely help increase community partnerships and staffing to expand advocacy work statewide. “This is a really tremendous and unexpected opportunity.”

In Minneapolis, WellShare will use its $2 million to expand staffing and community health programs for underrepresented communities, said Andrea Ross, chief of operations and strategy. In St. Paul, Gender Justice will use its $2 million to sustain the fast-growing organization, which will soon have 25 employees working in Minnesota and North Dakota on issues including abortion access and trans rights.

The recognition will hopefully spur other donations, Gender Justice Executive Director Megan Peterson said.

“I hope it signals to other folks who care about gender justice and gender equity that we’re a trusted and impactful organization,” Peterson added.

According to the Associated Press, Scott has given away $16.5 billion of her money. Her net worth is estimated to total more than $35 billion, according to Forbes.

Unlike other philanthropists, Scott’s generosity is shrouded in secrecy; she hasn’t spoken publicly about her philanthropy and news of her grants were only released by nonprofits who chose to disclose the announcements, until Scott launched her website in 2022.

The high-profile donations provide not just a financial boost for small organizations but demonstrate trust in the nonprofit sector, Niedermeyer said.

Her organization, CAPI USA, will use the record $2 million donation to help start a new community fund to provide closing costs for new homebuyers in Brooklyn Center. The donation will also boost its $7.5 million capital campaign to support its building expansion next year to become a resource hub for northwest suburban refugees and immigrants.

“We were just shocked and so excited,” she said. “It’s going to be reinvested in the community.”