One year after author and billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott used her Medium blog to launch a new brand of giving, United Way of Southeast Louisiana (UWSELA) was one of 46 United Ways that joined forces to demonstrate the collective power of her gifts across the country.
In a Medium post, The United 46: One Year Later, the United Ways chronicle the impact of Scott’s giving across their local communities, which range from urban to suburban to rural. From providing basic needs and rebuilding supports in the aftermath of natural disasters to tackling systemic inequities by bolstering Black-led businesses and nonprofits and stabilizing vulnerable critical sectors such as childcare, Scott is helping build stronger, more equitable communities, according to the blog post.
At UWSELA, Scott’s $10 million gift has already had a tangible impact on the community, improving life for those facing the greatest need – families struggling to make ends meet, including ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) and households in poverty. A recent study shows these households were especially hard hit throughout the pandemic, losing employment income at a markedly higher rate than middle class and high-income families.
With the cushion of Scott’s significant financial support, UWSELA made year-one investments to address both emerging and long-standing community issues by offering rent and mortgage assistance, creating United for Early Care and Education to provide technical and legal support to child care centers, with a focus on the Payroll Protection Program (PPP), providing one-time unrestricted funding to 61 community partners to help offset COVID-19 impacts, opening the Northshore Prosperity Center, and increasing investments in the Louisiana Prisoner Reentry Initiative and New Orleans Campaign for Grade-Level Reading.
