The local nonprofit Civic Works recently announced billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott made a $7 million donation to the organization, which strives to strengthen Baltimore’s communities through education, communal service and skills development.
Earlier this year, Scott and her organization Yield Giving launched a $250 million “Open Call” to fund community-focused nonprofits operating in such fields as health care, education, housing and civic engagement.
This endeavor creates a “new pathway to support for organizations making positive change in their communities,” said Scott, an award-winning novelist and ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, in a statement. Since 2020, Scott has donated more than $14.1 billion to at least 1,621 different charities and nonprofits. In 2019, she pledged to give away the majority of her fortune to charity.
Founded in 1993 by Del. Dana M. Stein (D-11th), Civic Works is based in Northeast Baltimore’s Belair-Edison community.
“This is the largest donation Civic Works has ever received, and I am incredibly grateful to MacKenzie Scott for aiding our mission of strengthening Baltimore’s neighborhoods through community service, education, and skills development,” said Stein. “I also want to thank all of our staff members who have helped us grow in ways we couldn’t have imagined over the last 30 years, leading us to serve more than 100,000 people in the Baltimore area. This donation will create new opportunities for our participants and communities, and will help us expand and improve for years to come so we can continue to make an extraordinary difference in the lives of Baltimore residents.”
The donation will enable Civic Works to provide vocational services to urban residents, offer solar power and other green installation services to Baltimore area residents, build parks and plant gardens in vacant city sites, make home improvements for older adult residents and grow fresh produce at its urban farm to support with food deserts in underserved communities.
Since the organization’s inception, Civic Works has transformed 286 vacant lots, placed more than 1,200 people in family-sustaining jobs, made energy efficiency upgrades in nearly 26,000 homes, rallied 56,000 volunteers, tutored over 58,000 students, worked with nearly 6,000 AmeriCorps members and distributed nearly 275,000 pounds of fresh produce to local communities. For information about Civic Works, visit civicworks.com.
A junior at Roland Park Country School, Katie Grossman writes about a recent experience that spurred her to take action to fight antisemitism.
Spending on "hasbara" should be “like investing in jets, bombs and missile interceptors,” argues Israel’s foreign minister.
Presented by Jews United for Justice and a consortium of local synagogues, "Beyond Welcoming the Stranger" offered a Jewish approach to helping immigrants.
John Singer wants to help Marylanders of all economic backgrounds to afford ankle foot orthoses.