Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott recently donated $4 million to the West Philadelphia Skills Initiative, a nonprofit organization focused on workforce development for local residents.
The initiative, which provides career-building opportunities for city residents, received the donation through Scott’s charitable organization Yield Giving. WPSI is one of several collaborations highlighted in the University's efforts to connect with local communities by partnering with nonprofits, schools, and companies in Philadelphia.
WPSI, founded in 2011, offers training and professional development services to directly connect residents with major employer institutions. Graduates of the program — who now number over 1,700 — have gone on to work for local employers including Penn, Drexel University, Penn Medicine, and the Philadelphia Fire Department, according to the WPSI website.
According to the University City District’s website, Philadelphians who attended WPSI programs are estimated to have earned an estimated $103.7 million in wages. In 2023, it worked with 222 job seekers, matching 88.3% with employers at an average wage of $19.87/hour.
Scott is a novelist and philanthropist previously married to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. Her charitable organization has provided funding for nearly 2,000 organizations through "quiet research," aiming to identify groups that are working to support underserved communities.
UCD announced the unrestricted donation from Scott on March 11, stating that the gift would help WPSI expand its services within the region. In recent years, WPSI has grown to serve Philadelphia as a whole. In 2022, WPSI received $3.5 million from the Pew Charitable Trusts to expand its employment training programs.
WPSI Executive Director Cait Garozzo holds a graduate certificate from Penn's Executive Program in Social Impact Strategy and received a master’s degree in Organizational Dynamics in 2022.
"Thanks to Ms. Scott’s gift, we can continue to push our vision even further," Garozzo said in the UCD announcement. "We can lean into our bold ideas, connect more talented people to quality jobs, and deepen our support for everyone we work with.”
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