Billionaire Scott gives $15M to two Cincinnati nonprofits

Two Cincinnati-area nonprofits have received millions in additional funding as part of more than $3.9 billion in donations from philanthropist Mackenzie Scott to a variety of organizations.

Habitat for Humanity of Greater Cincinnati received $7.5 million of the $436 million in unrestricted funds given to Habitat's international organization and its domestic affiliates, the nonprofit said in a release.

"This remarkable gift will have a catalytic impact on our mission to partner with families to build strength, stability, and self-reliance,” said Ed Lee, president and CEO of HFHGC. “This is an unprecedented gift for our organization. It is an honor to be part of this group and we are excited about the transformation this investment can make.”

Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio also received $7.5 million, Scott donated $275 million to the organization's national office, the largest gift from a single donor in its history, the organization said.

"This transformational gift is a powerful statement about the importance of health equity and we intend to use it to ensure the sustainability of our organization even, and especially, in the face of the incredible challenges that lie ahead," Kersha Deibel, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio, said in a statement.

In a blog post published on Medium, Scott said this latest round of donations is part of a larger plan to support the needs of underrepresented people from a variety of groups.

"We don't advocate for particular policies or reforms. Instead, we seek a portfolio of organizations that supports the ability of all people to participate in solutions," wrote Scott.

Scott, the ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, donated $2.7 billion last year to 286 groups supporting a variety of causes.

In July 2020, she gave more than $1.7 billion to diverse organizations, including historically Black colleges and universities. In December that year, the billionaire announced she donated an additional $4.2 billion to 384 organizations providing services including food banks, emergency relief funds and debt relief.

USA TODAY contributed to this report.