Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott will donate $4.8 million to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Miami-Dade to support its mission of providing educational and afterschool programs for local children. The donation will be used to renovate and transform the northwest club into a state-of-the-art facility.
“We are incredibly grateful and humbled by MacKenzie Scott’s generosity to select us for such a transformational gift to support great futures for our area youth,” Alex Rodriguez-Roig says, president of Boys & Girls Clubs of Miami-Dade. “With her support, Boys & Girls Clubs of Miami-Dade can completely rebuild and renovate our Northwest Club. The Club’s positive programs are very important to keeping our youth members engaged in a healthy, safe, productive, and enjoyable environment.”
Scott is an American author and philanthropist. She is the founder and executive director of Bystander Revolution, an online resource offering practical, crowdsourced advice about simple things individuals can do to take the power out of bullying. In May 2019, she signed “The Giving Pledge” and promised to give away at least half of her wealth throughout her lifetime.
Recognizing the community’s needs to which she can contribute, Scott made significant financial donations to multiple Boys & Girls Clubs around the country. Scott worked with a team of advisors to help accelerate her giving and took a data-driven approach to identifying organizations with strong leadership teams and results, with particular attention to those operating in communities facing high projected food insecurity, high measures of racial inequity, high local poverty rates and low access to philanthropic capital. Scott’s total commitment will be paid upfront and left unrestricted to provide Boys & Girls Clubs of Miami-Dade with maximum flexibility.
Located at 10915 NW 14 Ave. in Miami, the Northwest Club opened its doors in 1953 and it serves predominately African American children from lower-income families. The renovation plan entails completely rebuilding the 11-acre campus. The process will include demolishing the existing 1950s building to construct a new 25,000 square feet state-of-the-art facility featuring a learning center, STEM and computer lab, teen center, recreational areas, and the complete refurbishment of its existing fields and gym. The project’s total cost is $13 million and construction is expected to begin in 2023.
