LOWELL – Billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott’s Yield Giving (www.yieldgiving.com) platform announced today that Coalition for a Better Acre has received a $1 million Open Call award.

CBA is among only 361organizations from all 50 states and the District of Columbia to receive this award, intended for organizations working with people and in places experiencing the greatest need in the United States.

A total of 6,353 organizations applied to the Open Call, managed by Lever for Change, which “connects donors with bold solutions to the world’s problems.” Eligible organizations had annual budgets of between $1million and $5 million.

Founded in 1982 to preserve and uplift Lowell’s Acre neighborhood, CBA is a member-driven, nonprofit community development corporation that provides 556 units of affordable housing and a range of free programs created in response to needs expressed by community members, including workforce development, leadership and civic engagement, health access, a food pantry, and community building events.

In March 2023, Yield Giving launched an Open Call for community-led, community-focused organizations whose explicit purpose is to enable individuals and families to achieve substantive improvement in their well-being through foundational resources.

“We are a bit over the moon right now,” said Yun-Ju Choi, CEO of CBA. “You could probably hear us clapping and shouting all the way down Moody Street when we learned of the award.” She added, “We went into this thinking it was a big leap, because we knew how competitive it would be. But, true to our nature, we decided to go for it.”

CBA CEO Yun-Ju Choi

Choi said CBA is seeking input from staff and Board Members as it finalizes its spending plan. “This is an incredible windfall,” she said. “We are being very intentional in ensuring it will have long-term, positive impact for CBA and for our community.”

Yield Giving initially planned for 250 awards of $1 million each. In the Fall of 2023, organizations top-rated by their peers advanced to a second round of review by an external Evaluation Panel recruited for relevant experience and underwent a final round of due diligence.

Citing the incredible work of these organizations, as judged by their peers and external panelists, the donor team decided to expand the awardee pool and the award amount.

“We are excited that our partnership with Yield Giving has resonated with so many organizations,” said Cecilia Conrad, CEO of Lever for Change. “In a world teeming with potential and talent, the Open Call has given us an opportunity to identify, uplift, and empower transformative organizations that often remain unseen.”

More information on the Yield Giving Open Call and other initiatives can be found at www.leverforchange.org.