(KNSI) – Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Minnesota has 1.5 million reasons to be smiling right now. The organization is celebrating the largest gift in its history, donated by Mackenzie Scott.
The former wife of Amazon’s Jeff Bezos has made charitable giving a priority in recent years. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Minnesota Executive Director Jackie Johnson says it is more than a gift. Scott does not direct her donations to a particular purpose. Before contributing to an group, she consults with a research firm tasked with determining which organizations merit support.
Johnson says, “She gives the money to organizations that are trustworthy and that she aligns with. They’ve done the investigation, so therefore [she’s] trusting the organizations to make the best decisions.”
Johnson details how the gift will be spent. “We have an investment committee who is going to be looking at this gift and the best way we can utilize it to help us with our short-term goals. We are also looking at kicking off a $10 million endowment.”
Johnson expects announcements to be ready soon about new fall programming.
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