MacKenzie Scott gave away more than $12 billion to 1,251 organizations between July 2020 and March 2022. Her trust-based, rapidly deployed model of unrestricted large, multi-year giving has gained major attention in philanthropy and the social sector for its transformative potential. What can we learn from it? What impact does it have on recipients? What are its implications for other philanthropists? There's much the philanthropic and social sectors can learn from the recipients of Scott’s windfall grants and their experiences as they chart new terrain.
Over the next year, Panorama will continue sharing insights from peer learning communities we convened as part of our Collaborative Learning from Impact Philanthropy initiative. These insights aim to support both funders and recipients of windfall grants and to help us take meaningful action toward achieving greater impact together.
This first set of seven takeaways was based on our first Global Development cohort, representing 22 organizations with headquarters in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the US. The range of their work encompasses agriculture, civic engagement, community-led development, education, health, human rights, legal empowerment, and poverty alleviation.
