Billionaire aids Colorado early education nonprofit

Philanthropist

MacKenzie Scott donates

$1 million to charity

BY SARA MARTIN CHALKBEAT COLORADO

Billionaire MacKenzie Scott has awarded $1 million to a small, low-profile Colorado nonprofit, whose leaders remain a bit stunned.

“The whole thing was very surreal,” said Heather Tritten, executive director of Parent Possible, which provides support for early childhood services. “When I look at who else has been funded in Colorado — organizations that are far bigger than Parent Possible, it feels very unreal that we were funded by MacKenzie Scott and that she wanted to invest in us.”

Parent Possible, which was founded in Colorado in 1991, works to equip parents with tools and education to prepare their children to learn. The nonprofit believes that investing in early childhood systems helps increase literacy and encourages students to graduate high school — which helps break the cycle of