MacKenzie Scott Makes Largest Investment in Young People in JA’s History

This gift of $800,000 will help us empower students and our community

Graphic that reads Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott just made the largest donation in JA's history of $38.8 million. Thank you for believing in the unlimited possibilities of young people and their ability to positively change communities.

Author: JA of North Florida
Corporate Responsibility
Published: Wednesday, 17 Aug 2022

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Junior Achievement high school student sitting at desk writing on paper in classroom with fellow students in background

Image caption: The gift marks the largest donation from a single donor in the organization’s history.

We are thrilled to announce that philanthropist MacKenzie Scott has donated $800,000 to Junior Achievement of North Florida. Our area was one of 26 Junior Achievement offices to receive a portion of a larger $38.8 million gift made to Junior Achievement, the largest gift by a single donor in the organization’s history!

“We are incredibly grateful for Ms. Scott’s extraordinary investment in Junior Achievement, and our work to empower students,” said Shannon Italia, President of Junior Achievement of North Florida. “This investment will increase access to our learning experiences in underserved communities and allow us to make better use of other donor contributions in terms of delivering learning experiences to the young people we serve.”

MacKenzie Scott noted in a recent blog, “Communities with a habit of removing obstacles for different subsets of people tend to get better for everyone.” This echoes JA’s vision of a world where young people have the skillset and mindset to build thriving communities - and we are committed to making it a reality. Through our programs and network of teachers and volunteers, JA brings entrepreneurship to life, demystifies financial concepts like budgeting and taxes, and makes planning for future careers exciting.

Read the local press releas from JA of North Florida.

Read the national press release from JA USA.