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MacKenzie Scott
December 11, 2023
3 Maine nonprofits receive $7.4M in giving from billionaire MacKenzie Scott
By William Hall
A Downeast health care provider, another in northern Maine and a legal aid group from southern Maine have received windfalls totaling more than $7 million in the most recent round of charitable gifts by author and philanthropist MacKenzie Scott.
Katahdin Valley Health Center, headquartered in Patten, was awarded $4.8 million, according to a blog post by Scott last week. Pine Tree Legal Assistance, based in Portland with offices statewide, received $1.4 million, and St. Croix Regional Family Health Center, in Princeton, $1.2 million.
The nonprofit groups are among 360 that Scott listed in her post. They have received a total of $2.15 billion from her foundation, Yield Giving, since she last disclosed the names of any recipients, in December 2022.
"Excited to call attention to these 360 outstanding organizations, every one of whom could use more allies," she wrote.
Katahdin Valley Health Center is a federally qualified health center, a type of nonprofit, community-owned organization that provides care regardless of a patient's ability to pay for services. KVHC operates eight clinics throughout Aroostook County.
St. Croix Regional Family Health Center, founded in 1991, is also a FQHC. The center is based on Mill Street in Princeton, a few miles from the Canadian border in Washington County.
Pine Tree Legal Assistance is headquartered in Portland and has six regional offices throughout Maine. The organization provides free civil legal help to clients on a variety of issues.
Attempts to reach the recipients for comment were not immediately successful.
About MacKenzie Scott
The author of two novels and a former employee of a New York hedge fund, Scott is also the ex-wife of Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com founder and executive chairman. She currently has an estimated net worth of $40 billion, according to Forbes magazine.
In 2019, she signed the Giving Pledge, a project that encourages billionaires to promise to give away at least half of their wealth throughout their lifetime. Founded in 2010 by Warren Buffett, other signers include Bill and Melinda Gates, Elon Musk and Michael Bloomberg.
Yield Giving says it has so far provided $16.5 billion to over 1,900 nonprofits worldwide, which can use the awards as they see fit in order to benefit others.
Maine nonprofits have benefited from Scott's generosity previously, including in 2020 and 2021. The most recipient was the Augusta-based Maine Health Access Foundation, which received a $9 million award announced last year.
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