Life Pieces To Masterpieces Receives Transformative $2 Million Gift from the Yield Giving Open Call
Life Pieces To Masterpieces, March 19, 2024 – Today, MacKenzie Scott’s Yield Giving announced Life Pieces To Masterpieces as one of the Yield Giving Open Call’s awardees, working with people and in places experiencing the greatest need in the United States. Life Pieces To Masterpieces has received an award of $2 million.
Life Pieces To Masterpieces is an arts-based youth development and mentorship organization providing Black and Brown boys and young men in Washington DC’s most marginalized and volatile neighborhoods with a safe space to grow and learn – through an environment of love, security, and expression. LPTM’s year-round out-of-school-time programming provides our youth with safe outlets for creative expression, academic skill building, and character development, as they develop the confidence to create bright futures for themselves that they might have never otherwise imagined. “Each one teach one” mentorship is the hallmark of LPTM, with older boys serving as positive role models for the younger ones, resulting in a profound and lasting brotherhood.
“We have always been told by those visiting LPTM that we are Washington, DC’s best kept secret. This Yield Giving Open Call contribution is a game changer in our pathway toward mindful growth and expansion, as it will attract more interest and much needed, substantial investment from those previously unaware of our existence. With this national recognition and transformational gift, we are thrilled that our secret is finally out. We are even more determined to press onward and we invite those who are so moved to join us in advancing our cause – changing how Black and Brown boys and young men see themselves, changing how the world sees Black and Brown boys and men; while our boys and young men change the world’s understanding of our shared humanity.”
The Open Call received 6,353 applications and initially planned for 250 awards of $1 million each. In the Fall of 2023, organizations top-rated by their peers advanced to a second round of review by an external Evaluation Panel recruited for their experience relevant to this cause, and then underwent a final round of due diligence review. In the light of the incredible work of these organizations, as judged by their peers and external panelists, the donor team decided to expand the awardee pool and the award amount.
“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.
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Life Pieces To Masterpieces
Life Pieces To Masterpieces provides opportunities for Black and Brown boys to express themselves; teach and uplift others as mentors; navigate structural social barriers; and contribute positively to their schools and communities. The organization hosts year-round, comprehensive out-of-school-time programming from ages three to adulthood that is entirely free for all youth and families, and, importantly, includes meals and safe door-to-door transportation. Founded in 1996, Life Pieces To Masterpieces is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization which holds a four-star Charity Navigator rating and a Platinum rating on Candid. To learn more, visit www.lifepieces.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 deem 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.
