Oregon Arts Benefit Big from Major Gift from MacKenzie Scott

Oregon Arts and Culture Recovery Fund Among Recipients of $2.74B in Gifts

Artists and arts organizations in Oregon will receive much-needed funding thanks to a $4 million gift from Pacific Northwest philanthropist MacKenzie Scott.

The gift to OCF’s Arts and Culture Recovery Fund will help arts organizations and individual artists impacted by Covid-19, with an emphasis on communities of color, people with disabilities, immigrants and refugees, and rural, LGBTQ+ and low-income populations.

“We’re humbled and grateful for this incredibly generous contribution to support the arts and culture community across Oregon,” said Jerry Tischleder, OCF program officer for arts and culture. “The Oregon Arts and Culture Recovery Fund has provided significant support to the field so far, but the losses and need related to COVID-19 are staggering. We look forward to continue putting these much-needed funds out into the community.”

OCF was among 286 “high-impact organizations in categories and communities that have been historically underfunded and overlooked,” according to Scott’s blog post announcing the gifts.

Scott, a novelist and philanthropist, holds tens of billions of dollars in Amazon stock. In 2019 she signed the Giving Pledge to give away most of her wealth.

The Giving Pledge is a commitment by the world's richest individuals and families to dedicate the majority of their wealth to giving back. It was started by Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett in 2010 and other signatories such as Star Wars creator George Lucas.

Read more about the gift on Scott’s blog.