Aunt Martha’s Health and Wellness receives surprise $9 million donation from MacKenzie Scott

Community health nonprofit Aunt Martha’s received a surprise donation Tuesday of $9 million from billionaire MacKenzie Scott.

Aunt Martha’s Health and Wellness, which serves over 105,000 children and adults each year, learned last month that they had “garnered the attention of Ms. Scott and her team,” CEO Raul Garza said in a statement.

This week the nonprofit received a $9 million award from the Chicago Community Trust from MacKenzie Scott’s Yield Giving fund.

“For over 50 years, our dedicated staff has worked tirelessly to transform lives by breaking down barriers, giving voice to the marginalized, and caring for our most vulnerable neighbors. Yield Giving’s trust in Aunt Martha’s — based on the substance of our values and substantial value of our work — is a strong endorsement of our approach and our vision,” Garza wrote.

Garza said Scott’s team performed “quiet research,” only reaching out to the group after a funding determination had been made.

Aunt Martha’s Health and Wellness operates more than 30 sites statewide and is licensed by the Department of Children and Family Services to care for youth in out-of-home placements.

There are no restrictions on how the money can be used, according to Garza’s statements.

Last week, Scott broke the donation record at another area organization with an $8 million donation to Chicago-based workforce development nonprofit Cara Collective.

Scott, an author whose ex-husband is Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, has given away more than $14.1 billion of her fortune since 2019.

Last year, Scott also broke donation records for local organizations with gifts at the Chicago Urban League for $6.6 million and Chicago disability services nonprofit Access Living for $8 million.