Kawerak receives $8 million unrestricted donation

Kawerak announced in a press release that the Mackenzie Scott Foundation is donating $8 million to Kawerak, Inc. and is allowing the tribal consortium to decide how to use the funds. “It’s the largest unrestricted donation in Kawerak history,” said Kawerak President Melanie Bahnke after receiving the news.

Out of 400 organizations who received a generous donation, Kawerak, Inc. represents the only organization selected from Alaska.

Mackenzie Scott is a billionaire philanthrophist, whose wealth came from shares of Amazon.com she received after divorcing Jeff Bezos, the company’s founder. Scott has pledged to give much of her with in rather unceremonial ways to nonprofit organizations, not through a competitive process but unsolicited and with no strings attached. In a blog she wrote about the reason for supporting underrepresented groups writing, “Equity can only be realized when all people involved have an opportunity to help shape it.”

The Kawerak Board of Directors and leadership will determine the best use of the funds to further Kawerak’s mission.

Kawerak’s Board of Directors is comprised of a representative from each community in the Bering Strait region, as well as a representative from the Norton Sound Health Corporation Board of Directors and two Elder representatives. The Board, along with executive leadership will discuss the plan for the funds at their upcoming five-year strategic planning session in early April.

On behalf of Kawerak, President Bahnke expresses gratitude to the Mackenzie Scott Foundation for this generous gift, as well as to the Rasmuson Foundation for bringing the annual grantmaker tour to rural Alaskan locations.