Announcing a $1M Gift from Yield Giving’s Open Call
March 19, 2024 – Today, MacKenzie Scott’s Yield Giving announced 826 Valencia as one of the Yield Giving Open Call’s awardees working with people and in places experiencing the greatest need in the United States. 826 Valencia has been awarded $1 million to support our mission of giving every under-resourced student in San Francisco the writing skills and publishing platforms they need to use their voice for positive impact.
Founded in 2002, 826 Valencia is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting students who live in under-resourced communities with their writing skills. We offer free writing, tutoring, and publishing programs for youth ages six through eighteen at three whimsical Writing Centers and in a dozen public schools.
826 Valencia Executive Director Bita Nazarian shared: “We are thrilled to have received this support from Yield Giving. In a society that has historically devalued the voices of young people of color, writing empowers them to tell their own stories, succeed in school and career, and write their own futures. Amplifying youth voices is essential to building a more just, equitable, and democratic future.”
In March 2023, Yield Giving launched an Open Call for community-led, community-focused organizations whose explicit purpose is to enable individuals and families to achieve substantive improvement in their well-being through foundational resources.
“We are excited that our partnership with Yield Giving has resonated with so many organizations,” said Cecilia Conrad, CEO of Lever for Change. “In a world teeming with potential and talent, the Open Call has given us an opportunity to identify, uplift, and empower transformative organizations that often remain unseen.” More information on the Yield Giving Open Call and other initiatives can be found at www.leverforchange.org.
Yield Giving
Established by MacKenzie Scott to share a financial fortune created through the effort of countless people, Yield Giving is named after a belief in adding value by giving up control. To date, Yield’s network of staff and advisors has yielded over $16,500,000,000 to 1,900+ non-profit teams to use as they see fit for the benefit of others. To learn more, visit www.yieldgiving.com.
Lever for Change
Lever for Change connects donors with bold solutions to the world’s biggest problems—including issues like racial inequity, gender inequality, lack of access to economic opportunity, and climate change. Using an inclusive, equitable model and due diligence process, Lever for Change creates customized challenges and other tailored funding opportunities. Top-ranked teams and challenge finalists become members of the Bold Solutions Network—a growing global network that helps secure additional funding, amplify members’ impact, and accelerate social change. Founded in 2019 as a nonprofit affiliate of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Lever for Change has influenced over $1.7 billion in grants to date and provided support to more than 145 organizations. To learn more, visit www.leverforchange.org.