‘People were crying’: MacKenzie Scott gives millions to Idaho’s Treasure Valley YMCA
One day in late November, David Duro was stunned when he got a call saying author and philanthropist MacKenzie Scott planned to donate $10 million to the Treasure Valley Family YMCA.
“I had to repeat back the number a couple of times to make sure,” Duro, the YMCA’s CEO, said by phone.
He was told he had to keep the donor and the amount secret until Scott’s organization announced the donation. That came Monday.
“People were crying and it was very emotional, especially with how hard this year has been,” Duro said.
The YMCA is among 384 organizations in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico that will share $4.2 billion in donations that Scott has announced over the past four months. The recipients were whittled down from a list of 6,490 organizations considered for funding.
“To select these 384, the team sought suggestions and perspective from hundreds of field experts, funders, and nonprofit leaders and volunteers with decades of experience,” Scott wrote on her blog.
Sixty of the donations went to YMCA and YWCA groups.
“We didn’t know we were being considered until we got the notification,” Duro said. “It’s such a compliment of the hard work that our volunteer board and our staff do every day to make a difference in the lives of our members and kids, and everyone we serve.”
Duro said the donation was an amazing gift coming at the end of a year of struggles because of the coronavirus pandemic. The YMCA had to close facilities for two months, lay off nearly all of its 1,200 employees and suffer the loss of millions of dollars.
Today, the YMCA has been able to rehire only about 580 people.
The Treasure Valley Y will spend the next several months deciding how to use the money, according to Duro.
“We want to make sure the Y is around forever,” he said. “Our programs, such as the child development program, are so important. Do we need to continue to expand in that area, so that kids really have the building blocks to succeed in school? How do we bring more people together and give them a safe place to gather where everyone’s considered equal?”
Scott is the ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. She was part of the company when it was founded and served as Amazon’s first accountant.
Scott is listed as the third-richest woman in the world, with an estimated wealth of $55.1 billion, according to Forbes. She obtained a 4% stake in Amazon in the couple’s divorce last year.
The process began in July when Scott asked a team of advisers to help her accelerate her 2020 giving to support organizations and people suffering the most through the pandemic. They identified groups with strong leadership teams and results.
“We do this research and deeper diligence not only to identify organizations with high potential for impact, but also to pave the way for unsolicited and unexpected gifts given with full trust and no strings attached,” Scott wrote.
The Treasure Valley Family YMCA was founded in 1891. It serves 110,000 families through its gyms and facilities in Boise, West Boise, Meridian and Caldwell. It provides more than $4 million in annual assistance to families that otherwise could not afford memberships.
Duro hopes Scott’s donation will create a domino effect.
“We see people in our community that give gifts,” Duro said. “They’re not $10 million, but on a relative perspective, they’re very generous gifts. And Scott hopes this will encourage people to give even more.”
