A Transformational Investment in America’s Seniors from Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott

What This Extraordinary Gift Makes Possible, and Why the Work Continues

We are incredibly grateful for the $70 million gift from MacKenzie Scott — an extraordinary investment in Meals on Wheels America and the nationwide network of local providers serving older adults every day.

With only 1% of philanthropy supporting older adults¹, we hope this gift serves as both inspiration and signal to others that we can change that reality together.

Moments like this are both inspiring and clarifying. They shine a light on what’s possible when bold philanthropy meets a proven, community-based solution. They also invite an important set of questions: 

What does a gift like this make possible?
Does it solve the problem?
And where do we go from here?

A Strong Foundation, Under Growing Pressure

Across the country, approximately 5,000 local Meals on Wheels providers are delivering far more than a meal. They are helping older adults stay nourished, connected and independent in their own homes.

But the need is growing, and quickly.

Nearly 14 million older adults worry about having enough to eat.² At the same time, local providers are seeing rising demand, higher costs and increasing pressure on already stretched systems. Public and private funding for senior care has not kept pace with today’s realities, even as the older adult population continues to grow rapidly. 

In many communities, these factors have led to waitlists. Today, one in three providers has one, with seniors waiting months and even years for support that is essential to their health.

Despite this explosively growing need, senior causes remain significantly underfunded, receiving just 1% of philanthropic giving in the United States. Neither public nor private funding has kept pace. 

What a Gift Like This Really Means

A gift of this magnitude is transformational, not because it solves everything, but because of how it can be used.

Meals on Wheels America exists to strengthen the entire Meals on Wheels network. By working at a national level, we can direct resources where they are most needed, reduce inefficiencies and create shared solutions that benefit providers across the country.

This investment allows us to take a thoughtful, long-term approach.

It supports work that often goes unseen, but is essential to expanding impact:

• Strengthening infrastructure, including updating kitchens, facilities and transportation needs, so providers can serve more seniors
• Improving systems and technology that help programs operate more efficiently
• Expanding shared resources and tools that reduce costs at the local level
• Identifying and addressing barriers that limit how many seniors can be reached
• Seeding future growth for the future by building on the strength of the network.

Nearly every provider (98%) reports infrastructure needs that will directly impact how many older adults they can serve in the coming years.³ Addressing these gaps is one of the most effective ways to increase capacity across the network.

In fact, research shows that closing key infrastructure gaps alone could result in tens of millions more meals delivered each year.

This is the kind of work that large-scale philanthropy makes possible.

Why This Matters for Philanthropy

This investment is also a powerful example of how philanthropy can drive impact at scale.

By investing in Meals on Wheels America, funders are not supporting a single program or location. They are strengthening a nationwide network; one that reaches into urban, suburban and rural communities alike.

It is an opportunity to:

• Achieve national scale while preserving the strength of a community-based model, where local providers respond to their community’s unique needs. 
• Multiply impact across thousands of providers.
• Invest in long-term solutions, while addressing the most pressing needs.

For philanthropists, foundations and corporate partners, this kind of approach offers something unique: the ability to create sustainable, lasting change across the country.

Does This End the Wait?

Not yet.

While this gift moves us forward in meaningful ways, it does not close the expanding gap. The senior population is expected to grow from 58 million to 82 million by 2050⁴, while funding fails to keep pace. In order for the network to be able to serve all low-income, food insecure seniors in need, the foundation of annual federal funding would have to more than double to approximately $2.285 billion, still only covering a portion of the full cost.

Across the Meals on Wheels network, the need continues to exceed available resources. Seniors are still waiting, and as the aging population grows, that need will only increase. 

This gift helps strengthen the network’s capacity so providers can reach more seniors, but the challenge is larger than any single investment. As our population ages, it will take sustained public and private partnership to ensure every senior who needs Meals on Wheels can receive it.   

Why Every Level of Support Still Matters

Gifts like this one help build the foundation for long-term progress. They allow us to strengthen systems, expand capacity and think beyond immediate constraints.

But it is the collective support of many that makes it possible to fully meet the need.

Every donation, at every level, plays a role in:

• Supporting local providers on the front lines, and in times of crisis.
• Expanding reach into communities where the need is greatest.
• Moving us closer to a future where no senior is left waiting.

This is not a challenge that can be solved by a single gift, no matter how generous. It is one that requires ongoing partnership and shared commitment.

Building on This Momentum

We are honored to steward this investment thoughtfully and to use it in ways that create lasting impact across the Meals on Wheels network.

And we are inspired by what it represents: a belief in this work, and in what is possible when we invest in solutions that are proven, scalable and deeply rooted in community.

There is real momentum behind this moment.

Now is the time to build on it.

Together, with continued support, partnership and investment, we can move closer to a future where every senior who needs Meals on Wheels can receive it.

Together, we can #EndTheWait.