Chicago health care nonprofit Aunt Martha's receives $9 million from MacKenzie Scott

CHICAGO (CBS) -- A Chicago nonprofit just got a $9 million donation – but it almost didn't happen, because the recipient thought the initial call was a scam.

Billionaire MacKenzie Scott is the ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. Scott has made it her mission to give away millions to worthy nonprofits.

Aunt Martha's, a community health and wellness nonprofit, was the third Chicago recipient of a donation in eight days.

Aunt Martha's helps more than 100,000 people in Illinois every year. It is also the only Federally Qualified Health Center in Illinois that is also licensed by the Illinois Department of Children and family Services for young people in out-of-home placements.

Raul Garza, president and chief executive officer of Aunt Martha's, said a chat with another charity convinced him the offer was legitimate.

"It didn't seem right. It didn't sound right. So we kind of put it to the side. It was interesting, because the staff at the trust said, 'If I were you, I would return that call immediately, and not share the details call with anyone. And so we quickly realized that it was MacKenzie Scott's organization," Garza said. "I think it will be life-changing for Aunt Martha's. I think it will be life-changing for the people we serve. So undoubtedly, I've never had a 20-minute conversation quite like that."

Aunt Martha's is still trying to determine how to use the money to have the greatest impact on the community.