Major Gift Announcement

We are thrilled to announce that Flower City Habitat for Humanity, Habitat for Humanity International and 83 affiliates have received a transformational $436M gift from MacKenzie Scott!

Flower City Habitat will use $3.75M gift to address affordable housing shortage in Rochester.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (March 22, 2022) – Flower City Habitat for Humanity (FCHH), along with Habitat for Humanity International, and 83 U.S. Habitat affiliate organizations, has been selected to receive $436 million in unrestricted giving from American Author and Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. Of that, Flower City Habitat for Humanity received $3.75 million. This transformational donation will substantially help further Habitat’s vision of a world where everyone has equitable access to a safe, decent and affordable place to call home.

“We are extremely grateful for this once-in-a-lifetime gift from MacKenzie Scott,” said Matthew J. Flanigan, CEO & President of FCHH. “As we all know, there is a significant need for affordable housing in the City of Rochester and this generous donation will allow FCHH to provide a greater number of families with the opportunity for affordable homeownership in alignment with our mission of building homeownership, communities, and hope.”

Flower City Habitat’s initial plans for the funding include greater support of initiatives and programs that help city residents build stability, equity, and generational wealth through FCHH’s homeownership, repair, and advocacy programs.

Habitat International will use its portion of the donation to prioritize advocacy and programmatic efforts designed to dismantle systemic racism in housing. Specifically, the donation will allow Habitat to advocate for policy proposals and legislation that enable millions of people to access affordable housing through its Cost of Home advocacy campaign; increase Black homeownership in the U.S. by targeting current systemic barriers through a new initiative that will launch this summer; and leverage innovative capital investments that service communities of color.
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“Habitat works to break down barriers and bring people together — to tear down obstacles and build a world where everyone, no matter who we are or where we come from, has a decent place to live,” said Habitat for Humanity International CEO Jonathan Reckford. “This incredible gift helps make that work possible.”

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