Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott’s contribution deepens commitment to advancing efforts

to keep families together

Children’s Home Society of Washington, one of the state’s and nation’s leading children and family organizations, announced today it has received a significant investment in its groundbreaking efforts to strengthen families.

The expansion is thanks to an $8 million donation from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. The unprecedented gift is the largest unrestricted donation in the 126-year history of Children’s Home Society of Washington.

This contribution will help Children’s Home Society of Washington carry out its transformative work to shift government and philanthropic resources to keeping families together and to combat inequities that have been compounded by the pandemic.

“This is remarkable moment not for just families in Washington state, but also nationally, that will result in a profoundly different approach to helping children by keeping families together, especially families of color and those living in poverty,” said President/CEO Dave Newell. “This unrestricted gift allows us to reimagine how we address the complex needs of families and shift resources to support families on the front end.”

Children’s Home Society of Washington recently supported the 2021 launch of the Washington Family Support Network comprised of family resource centers that are advancing efforts to create a strong child and family well-being system in Washington state. This effort also connects to national efforts of Children’s Home Society of Washington to shift government funding from waiting until a crisis occurs in the home to addressing root cause issues by investing in families and communities.

“Children’s Home Society of Washington has been a leader in the state and nationally for decades working on approaches to best support child and family well-being,” said Board Chair Andy MacDonald. “This investment will take us to the next level in demonstrating that change is truly possible.”

CONTACT: Kristen Conte, Director of Marketing and Communications, 206-308-6752, Kristen.conte@chswa.org