[San Francisco, CA, June 15, 2021] Philanthropists MacKenzie Scott and Dan Jewett
announced today that they made a major gift to San Francisco Community Health Center
(SFCHC), along with 285 other exceptional, high-impact organizations across the country.
Together, these gifts total $2.739 billion.
Ms. Scott wrote in her post today on Medium: “Because community-centered service is such a
powerful catalyst and multiplier, we spent the first quarter of 2021 identifying and evaluating
equity-oriented non-profit teams working in areas that have been neglected. … these 286 teams
were selected through a rigorous process of research and analysis. These are people who have
spent years successfully advancing humanitarian aims, often without knowing whether there will
be any money in their bank accounts in two months.”
“The need for our health and wellness services has clearly never been greater, and this gift of
unbridled support for our organization and our mission enables us to accelerate our impact
precisely when San Francisco needs us most,” said Lance Toma, SFCHC’s CEO.
COVID-19 propelled more and more of SFCHC’s staff members into the streets of the
Tenderloin, to provide street medicine, outreach, and escorts to shelter-in-place and isolation
and quarantine hotel rooms, as well as COVID-19 testing. SFCHC led COVID-19 vaccination
efforts in the Tenderloin over the past few months. Throughout the pandemic and well beyond,
SFCHC is committed to contributing to the solution for San Francisco’s homelessness,
substance use, and mental illness crises from a health care and community-based approach.
San Francisco Community Health Center had just completed a 3-year strategic plan when they
received the news that Ms. Scott and Mr. Jewett had selected the organization for this gift. “We
already had ambitious plans to focus on San Francisco’s most vulnerable communities and to
contribute to ending HIV, Hepatitis C, and STIs in our City,” said Mario Choi, SFCHC’s Board
President. “But when COVID-19 hit San Francisco our health care services became more
critical than ever. This gift will enable us to continue pursuing pioneering models of health care
for the most marginalized communities. We can’t thank MacKenzie Scott and Dan Jewett
enough for this amazing gift and their belief in our health center.”
Mackenzie Scott’s Full Article
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About San Francisco Community Health Center:
San Francisco Community Health Center is an LGBTQ and people of color community health
center. We believe everyone deserves to be healthy so we offer the highest quality medical,
dental, and behavioral health care. We foster resilience, belonging, and healing for all
communities. To us, health care will always be grounded in social justice.
For more information regarding San Francisco Community Health Center, visit
https://sfcommunityhealth.org or call (415) 292-3400.