A nonprofit organization that trains underserved adults for careers in technology has landed a $5 million donation from billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott.
i.c.stars announced the gift Monday. The organization was founded in Chicago and opened its Milwaukee location in 2018. It also operates in Kansas City, Missouri.
Scott, who was formerly married to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, ranked No. 43 on the 2024 Forbes World's Billionaires List with a net worth of $35.6 billion. She received a 4% stake in Amazon as part of her 2019 divorce with Bezos, according to Forbes.
i.c. stars provides training in coding, business and leadership while connecting participants with hands-on experience with Milwaukee-area companies including Children’s Wisconsin, Northwestern Mutual and von Briesen & Roper, s.c.
Around 95% of participants are people of color, and the organization focuses on achieving racial equity by helping participants build wealth, according to i.c. stars.
The organization will use Scott's donation to enhance its current program offerings, expand to new cities and forge partnerships with higher education institutions and other nonprofit partners, among other uses.
The Milwaukee location of i.c. stars is in the city's Walker's Point neighborhood at 507 S. 2nd St., in a building known as Eagleknit that was recently redeveloped as an innovation hub. Blanca Gonzales is the executive director of i.c. stars Milwaukee.
Scott has previously donated to other Milwaukee-area organizations including the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee ($17 million), United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County ($25 million), the Hmong American Peace Academy ($3 million), Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity ($5.75 million) and Carmen Schools of Science and Technology ($3.5 million), according to Scott's website, Yield Giving.
