On Dec. 18, MacKenzie Scott wrote a blog post on her Yield Giving website announcing her latest round of gifts, including $19 million more to four Louisiana nonprofits.

Including this latest round of gifts, since 2020 Scott has given more than $201 million to improve the lives of many in Louisiana by embracing so-called “trust-based philanthropy.” In short, she provides big grants with no strings attached. Thus far, 54 Louisiana nonprofits have been included in her efforts to make a difference.

In the December round of giving, Scott’s organization gave a second gift to TruFund Financial Services, which has a New Orleans location. This second gift is for $10 million. (In 2020, Scott’s Yield Giving gave the organization, $7 million.) Second gifts to organizations are somewhat new to Scott’s philanthropic history.

The organization’s website says its mission is to promote and foster economic development within underserved communities and among disadvantaged populations. It achieves this by providing innovative financial solutions to revitalize communities and create jobs. TruFund offers affordable loan capital to small businesses and nonprofit organizations that are financially viable but have difficulty accessing capital from banks or other conventional lenders. 

TruFund Financial Services, established in 2005, also has locations in Houston and New York City.

This round of giving also included $3.1 million to CommuniHealth Services with locations in Morehouse, Ouachita and Union parishes in Louisiana. 

CommuniHealth Services is a private, not-for-profit community health center, established in Bastrop in 2002 to serve uninsured and low-income residents. According to its website, it provides medical, dental and behavioral health care services for patients of all ages. Other services provided include pharmacy, substance abuse counseling, transportation, translation, specialty care/services, health education, and comprehensive outreach.

Scott’s third gift earlier this month was a $1.9 million donation to Arbor Family Health, which has 10 locations in Iberville and Pointe Coupee parishes, including four school-based locations. 

Arbor Family Health, according to Yield Giving, has the goal of providing primary health care services to area communities in need of coordinated, affordable, preventative health care in a prudent, efficient and caring manner.

Lastly, Scott gave $4 million to Cafe Reconcile in New Orleans, a workforce development program with a vision to create “a New Orleans where all young people are embraced and empowered to pursue their potential,” according to its website. The program focuses on 16- to 24-year-olds. Interns gain industry credentials, explore career and educational pathways that suit their individual abilities, and earn real-world, on-the-job experience in a training restaurant, Cafe Reconcile.

Scott does not seek the spotlight for her giving. Occasionally, she writes a blog post about the gifts she makes. 

On Dec. 18, Scott posted: “This morning with the help of my team, I uploaded information about $2,004,400,000 in gifts to the 199 organizations below. Roughly 75% of them are nonprofits that support the economic security and opportunity of people who are struggling by improving access to affordable housing, jobs that provide stability for themselves and their families, child development and post-secondary education, healthcare, and financial counseling, business coaching, and low-interest rate loans focused on increasing economic potential and building wealth. The others support well-being through other means, such as work on human rights and natural resources conservation.”

In 2019, Scott, former wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, pledged to share her financial fortune “until the safe is empty” through The Giving Pledge — a movement of philanthropists who commit to give the majority of their wealth to charitable causes, either during their lifetimes or in their wills. To do so, Scott created her foundation, Yield Giving, named after a belief in adding value by giving up control.