Four Connecticut organizations are among 465 nonprofits that have received a portion of MacKenzie Scott’s $3.9 billion in donations she has made since June. They are Habitat for Humanity of Coastal Fairfield County, Boys & Girls Clubs of Hartford, Shatterproof and Planned Parenthood of Southern New England.
Scott, the former wife of billionaire Jeff Bezos, also gifted $275 million to the national Planned Parenthood organization, which made for the largest single donation in the organization’s history.
Amanda Skinner, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Southern New England, expressed gratitude in a statement.
“We are deeply grateful for Ms. Scott’s generous support for the future of reproductive and sexual health care, advocacy, and education in Connecticut and Rhode Island,” she said. “There is no question that we are living through a crisis for sexual and reproductive health and rights.”
The local Planned Parenthood said in a release that the $17 million it received will be put toward serving communities to ensure that ”health care, including abortion, is equitable and accessible for all.”
Scott, who announced her donations in a blog post Wednesday, said she selected nonprofits that focus on the needs of underrepresented people.
“Supporting the capacity of all people to be heard leads to better outcomes for all,” Scott wrote in her personal blog.
Carolyn Vermont, CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Coastal Fairfield County, said the nonprofit will be able to buy more land and build more houses with the $5 million it received. “We can just service more members of our community here in coastal Fairfield County.”
Vermont said the organization will focus on providing equity to communities of color, specifically toward advancing Black homeownership.