Foundation handout
MacKenzie Scott
Communities In Schools of Greater Tarrant County has received an unprecedented gift of $4 million from philanthropist and author MacKenzie Scott.
The gift is part of a $133.5 million unrestricted donation to the Communities In Schools network and national office.
“We are humbled and honored that Communities In Schools of Greater Tarrant County was selected as one of 40 CIS organizations from 18 states to receive such generous support from MacKenzie Scott,” says Lindsey Garner, president and chief executive officer of Communities In Schools of Greater Tarrant County, in a statement. “Our team will work closely with our board to determine the most appropriate use of these unrestricted funds, for now and for the future.
“The need for wrap-around supports, including mental health counseling, has skyrocketed since the start of the pandemic. We are experiencing the highest demand for case managers and mental health counselors than we have ever seen before. Our goal is to utilize these funds both for immediate response to the growing demand, but also to invest in the long-term sustainability of our program. This unrestricted gift will allow us to combat inequities in public education and reimagine the way our social workers can show up for thousands more Tarrant County students whose basic needs are not met.”
Scott, one of the world’s leading philanthropists, has donated at least $8.6 billion to more than 780 organizations in the less than two years, according to Forbes.
Approximately $113.5 million of the overall $133.5 million gift was directed to 40 CIS affiliate organizations to support and expand school and community operations. The remaining $20 million will fund national CIS efforts to ensure program quality and consistency, provide rigorous research and evaluation, conduct effective advocacy, leverage the power of the national CIS brand and provide professional development opportunities.
“The global pandemic has created unparalleled challenges for students and families — including experiences of social isolation, economic crisis, stress and trauma,” says Matt Dufrene, board chair and vice president at Texas Health Resources. “The growth enabled by this donation will allow CIS-GTC to not only increase the number of schools and students we serve, it will also allow us to potentially layer our traditional services with mental health services, providing more wrap-around support to our school partners, students and families.”