PORTLAND, Oregon — On Tuesday, billionaire, philanthropist and Jeff Bezos’ former wife, MacKenzie Scott announced she is giving away $640 million to 361 small nonprofits. This includes three nonprofits in Oregon and one in Southwest Washington.
“We were overjoyed and amazed that we were awarded the Mackenzie Scott Yield Giving open call funding,” said Emmy Ritter, executive director for Raphael House Portland. “This opportunity gives us a chance to really stand on our feet.”
More than 6,000 nonprofits applied to receive grants, and only 361 were chosen.
Ritter tells KGW she applied for the $1 million with Yield Giving last summer and was shocked to see they were awarded $2 million instead. She said it's great that the work done by the domestic violence agency is being recognized to this level.
"Our staff is so incredible and so dedicated to their work," said Ritter. "It's easy for us; they see the urgency in front of us because domestic violence is such an 'in our face issue.' We are working with survivors every day and are amazed by their strength every day. We have a need to stay here for a long time."
Another Portland-based nonprofit, Familias En Accion, also received a $2 million donation while they just applied for $1 million.
“So, we heard the news officially this past Monday, so it’s very recent,” said Margarita Gutierrez Lemus, the executive director of Familias En Accion.
Gutierrez Lemus tells KGW her nonprofit focuses on improving the health and wellness for Latino communities in Oregon. They will be asking community members where they'd like to see the funds go but have plans to invest in more rural communities outside of Portland.
“I know that one of the things we are hoping for — given the lack of resources that exist in rural communities in Oregon — is to really step into a more statewide programming," said Gutierrez Lemus.
They currently have five programs that focus on very specific needs — one of which includes community health workers who graduated with state-approved certification Wednesday afternoon.
She tells KGW she never could have anticipated this amount of funding when they applied in 2023.
“We know the impact that the familias has in the community," said Gutierrez Lemus, "so we were hopeful, but I don’t think any of us were anticipating, definitely not anticipating, two million dollars.”
Jackson Street Youth Services, a homeless nonprofit serving Benton and Linn counties received $1 million. The Council for the Homeless in Clark County received $2 million.