Letter to the Editor: MacKenzie Scott’s Trust in Grantees Should Be a Model for Philanthropy

Philanthropist Mackenzie Scott, one of the wealthiest women in the world, faced much criticism after her decision to not provide more details about how much she donated and to whom in her latest round of giving. In a letter to the editor published in the Chronicle of Philanthropy, PHI’s Rise Up founder and executive director Denise Raquel Dunning reflects on recent criticism of MacKenzie Scott’s giving and how philanthropy can do more good by following Scott’s lead. Rise Up was one of the 286 nonprofits that received a total of $2.7 billion from Scott last year.

Nonprofits like Rise Up—a program that invests in local leaders to improve health, education, and economic justice for women and girls, around the world—often have to raise additional funds just to keep the lights on because the majority of philanthropic dollars can only be used to support specific projects and often do not cover core costs like staffing and rent.

Thanks to Scott’s donation, Rise Up can now expand their programming, make additions to their staff, build out data management systems, chart a course to achieve their vision over the next five years and put more resources directly in the hands of community leaders who best understand their own challenges and how to solve them.

Originally published by The Chronicle of Philanthropy