WHATCOM COUNTY, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Billionaire philanthropist and author MacKenzie Scott announced Tuesday that she will give $640 million to more than 360 organizations in her latest round of donations, and Whatcom County houses one of the recipients.

The organizations Scott and her screening group selected will receive grants of $1 million to $2 million. Over 6,300 applicants vied for the donations.

Whatcom Center for Early Learning (WCEL) will receive $2 million – what Scott’s database Yield Giving calls the “top tier” for this year’s round of donations.

The total award is more than double the amount that Scott initially promised as she launched an application process last year. WCEL said in a press release that the Open Call this year was initially for $1 million to 250 applicants, but that changed once the donor team began to evaluate applications.

WCEL’s mission statement said that they strive to provide support services for children with developmental delays and disabilities along with their families. According to the organization, early support services are a very cost-effective investment, giving children the support they need during a key time in brain development.

Executive Director Sierra James said in a statement the organization is thrilled about the extra funds which will allow them to begin planning for a new custom-built facility. In all of her years grant writing, she has never seen an award higher than the requested amount, much less a doubling of said amount.

James doesn’t know for sure how the money will be allocated as they received the news so recently. When asked about funding, she said that between an influx of children seeking language development support and limited funding from the state especially in the language development field, the donation will help WCEL better serve the children and their families. She adds their requests for language support has doubled in the last three years, largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic stunting children’s socialized language development.

Scott has shaken up philanthropic giving since 2019 when she began giving away the fortune she came into after divorcing Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. To date, Scott has given over $17.3 billion to over 2,300 non-profits.