In 2020, MacKenzie Scott gave Denver charity $20m; five years later, it has created 4 childcare centres and renovated an affordable housing building |
MacKenzie Scott donated $20 million to Mile High United Way in December 2020, marking one of the largest philanthropic gifts in the organisation’s history. The money arrived as the COVID-19 pandemic was placing extraordinary pressure on families across the Denver area, allowing the charity to respond to immediate needs while also investing in longer-term projects. Over the following five years, the funding helped create four early childhood education centres, adding 264 affordable, high-quality childcare places across Metro Denver. It also helped the organisation purchase and renovate a 22-unit apartment building in Denver’s Uptown neighbourhood, where below-market homes are offered to young people transitioning out of the child welfare system.
MacKenzie Scott’s $20m gift during the pandemic
Scott’s $20 million donation was announced on December 15, 2020, as part of a nationwide round of philanthropic gifts to hundreds of organisations. Mile High United Way described it as a transformational investment in its work supporting children, families and individuals across its seven-county service area. The organisation said it was the largest single gift in its 138-year history.The timing was significant. The pandemic had left many families struggling with basic necessities, including food, housing and childcare. Mile High United Way used $5 million of the gift immediately to support neighbourhoods across Metro Denver, directing resources towards those urgent needs. The organisation also worked with BIPOC-led and BIPOC-serving groups to help direct support to communities facing significant challenges.
Four centres expanded access to childcare
A major part of the longer-term investment went towards early childhood education. Mile High United Way helped establish four centres that are now open across Metro Denver and Aurora, creating 264 affordable, high-quality childcare places for young children.The centres are Warren Village’s Alameda Campus in west Denver, Family Tree’s GOALS in Aurora, Mercy Housing’s The Rose on Colfax in east Denver and the Tamara M. Sparks Early Learning Center operated at Mile High United Way. Together, the projects were designed to increase access to childcare while connecting families with other services that can help them become more stable.The capacity varies by location. Warren Village’s centre serves 104 children, Family Tree’s GOALS serves 54, The Rose on Colfax serves 48, and the Tamara M. Sparks centre serves 58. The projects therefore created childcare capacity in several different communities rather than concentrating the investment in a single location.
Childcare was linked with wider family support
The investment also created partnerships between the centres and Mile High United Way’s 211 service, which helps people find resources such as childcare, housing and other assistance. The organisation says 211 navigators can work alongside partner sites to connect families with appropriate services.At Warren Village, for example, the childcare centre is part of a broader effort to support families dealing with housing and economic challenges. Mile High United Way said the partnerships were intended to make it easier for families to access several forms of assistance rather than having to navigate each service separately.The five organisations involved in the early-learning projects also continue to meet and exchange information about their work. Mile High United Way said the collaboration could help develop approaches that other communities might eventually replicate.
The Rose on Colfax combines homes and childcare
One of the projects stands out for bringing two major family needs together in the same development. The Rose on Colfax, developed with Mercy Housing, includes affordable housing and an early childhood education centre. The childcare facility serves 48 children, while the housing component provides affordable homes in east Denver. Mile High United Way has described the development as a model for combining housing and childcare.The approach reflects the practical difficulties faced by working families. Affordable childcare can be difficult to find, while housing costs can consume a large share of household income. By putting the two services together, the project aims to make it easier for families to access childcare while maintaining stable housing.
A 22-unit building became affordable housing
The Scott gift also reached people at a different stage of life through housing. Mile High United Way used part of the money to purchase a 22-unit apartment building in Denver’s Uptown neighbourhood. In 2025, the organisation completed renovations that upgraded the building’s electrical and plumbing systems and converted basement space into offices for community partners that provide services to residents.The building contains 245-square-foot efficiency apartments that are offered at below-market rates. Most of the units are occupied by participants in Mile High United Way’s Bridging the Gap programme, which supports young people who have exited the child welfare system.For those residents, the apartments can provide an important transition into independent living. Mile High United Way describes the building as a place where young people leaving the child welfare system can find a safe and stable first home.
The money supported more than buildings
The impact of the donation has therefore extended beyond physical infrastructure. At the Tamara M. Sparks Early Learning Center, funding from the Scott gift has also helped support living wages for childcare teachers, according to Mile High Early Learning’s leadership.The centre opened as part of the wider expansion of early childhood services and provides 58 places. The organisation has said the investment helped it maintain compensation that could support staff while expanding access for families.Mile High United Way’s 2025 annual report described the four-centre investment as part of the longer-term transformation made possible by Scott’s $20 million gift. The report said the four projects had created 260 childcare slots at the time of publication, while the charity’s January 2026 five-year update gives the current figure as 264.
Five years later, the investment continues
Mile High United Way marked five years of impact from the gift in January 2026. By then, the organisation had used the funding across immediate pandemic relief, early childhood education, affordable housing and support services.The four childcare centres had created 264 affordable places, while the renovated Uptown building was providing below-market housing for young adults transitioning out of the child welfare system. The organisation also continued working with the early-learning partners and using its 211 network to connect families with additional resources.
