2 Upper West Side Arts Centers Get Millions From MacKenzie Scott

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY— The latest donation spree by billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott includes millions of dollars going to two prominent institutions on the Upper West Side.

Scott, the former spouse of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, announced Tuesday that she was giving $2.74 billion to 286 nonprofits across the country — the latest in a series of large gifts she has distributed since pledging in 2019 to give away most of her money.

The latest recipients include the Upper West Side's Jazz at Lincoln Center and Ballet Hispanico.

Ballet Hispanico is located at 167 West 89th Street and is one of the nation's most renowned Latino dance organizations.

"This monumental gift enables us to cement our mission and legacy for years to come, ensuring the health and future of our organization, which has been recognized as one of America’s Cultural Treasures.," Ballet Hispanico tweeted on Tuesday.

This extraordinary act of generosity by philanthropist MacKenzie Scott comes as Ballet Hispánico celebrates 50 years of access to dance, education and diversity. https://t.co/bUtaGHhF1x pic.twitter.com/Gl9sTI8VMy
— Ballet Hispánico (@BalletHispanico) June 15, 2021

Neither Ballet Hispanico nor Jazz at Lincoln Center, located at 10 Columbus Circle, disclosed how much money they received from Scott.

Other institutions in New York City that received Scott's impromptu donations were Hostos Community College, the Apollo Theatre, El Museo del Barrio, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, the Studio Museum in Harlem, and the Dance Theatre in Harlem.

"Arts and cultural institutions can strengthen communities by transforming spaces, fostering empathy, reflecting community identity, advancing economic mobility, improving academic outcomes, lowering crime rates, and improving mental health, so we evaluated smaller arts organizations creating these benefits with artists and audiences from culturally rich regions and identity groups that donors often overlook," Scott wrote in her announcement of the donations.

Patch reporter Nick Garber contributed to this report.