Author and philanthropist MacKenzie Scott has continued to give monetary support to nonprofits making an impact in communities nationwide, and now, she has donated $2 million to a Black birthing center in Northeast Ohio.
When the billionaire’s divorce was finalized in July 2019 from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos after 25 years of marriage, she received a 4% stake in the company as a part of her settlement. Since then, she’s been donating large lump sums of money to numerous organizations. She also joined the other billionaires part of the Giving Pledge, created by Warren Buffett and Bill and Melinda Gates, in committing to give most of her riches away to philanthropic organizations that are combatting an array of societal issues.
“I have no doubt that tremendous value comes when people act quickly on the impulse to give. No drive has more positive ripple effects than the desire to be of service,” she said in her pledge letter. “There are lots of resources each of us can pull from our safes to share with others — time, attention, knowledge, patience, creativity, talent, effort, humor, compassion.”
In December 2022, the 53-year-old launched a website database called Yield Giving, founded by Scott to “share a financial fortune created through the effort of countless people” and provide transparency for all the money given on her behalf since 2019. According to the site, the charitable association has donated over $17 billion to over 2,300 charities.
Last month, Scott revealed that following a review of YG’s 2023 open call applications from numerous small charitable groups, she’ll be giving 361 nonprofit groups $640 million, according to AP News. A movement that will benefit the most from the grant funding is Birthing Beautiful Communities, the only, “community-based doula program” whose mission is to ensure safe pregnancies and birth for at-risk women of color by providing one-on-one support to growing families before, during and after the pregnancy. In addition, mothers and infants can continue getting aid until the newborn’s first birthday per the site.
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On March 19, the Cleveland-based institution, created by African American trained Perinatal Support Persons, announced the good news online via a press release. Jazmin Long, BBC’s president and CEO, expressed her gratitude for the donation.
“We’re overjoyed and deeply grateful for this transformative gift from MacKenzie Scott’s Yield Giving Open Call. This generous support propels Birthing Beautiful Communities into an exciting new chapter, empowering us to amplify our impact and further our mission of ensuring every mother, baby, and family receives the care and support they deserve,” Long said, per the press release. “With this funding, we’re poised to continue transforming maternal health outcomes in Northeast Ohio and beyond, ushering in a future where every birth is a beautiful and healthy experience.”
Since the BBC was founded, they have helped train, certify, and employ other PSPs who provide services for Northeast Ohio at-risk women who may likely have complications during childbirth that result in the death of the infant. They have been able to successfully facilitate classes to certify over 75 women who were interested in birth work while simultaneously serving over 600 clients. Furthermore, outside of pregnancy and postpartum support, the holistic health organization offers wealth-building opportunities for Black women, who can typically struggle economically due to society’s class structure, Black Enterprise reported.
Long also shared in a video announcement made to help celebrate and spread the news about the $2 million grant, that the money will help build out their second location.
“This generous support helps to propel us to a new chapter,” she said. “A new chapter that helps take us to our new birth center, which is set to break ground in this fall.”
