MacKenzie Scott Donates Millions to LGBTQ Nonprofits
At least seven LGBTQ-specific nonprofits were on a list of 361 organizations honored for their work to "accelerate social change."
Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott is giving away $640 million to 361 community nonprofits across the United States, including a sizable portion to LGBTQ organizations.
As reported by CNN, Scott ended up giving more than double what she had originally intended. She was convinced to expand the awardee pool and the award amount after learning of some of the nonprofits’ work, according to Lever for Change, which managed the open call for grant applicants.
At least seven LGBTQ organizations were among this year’s awardees, including the Minnesota-based nonprofit Gender Justice, which received a $2 million donation.
Other LGBTQ-related awardees include the New Jersey-based organization EDGE, which provides housing and direct services to communities affected by HIV, including LGBTQ individuals; the gender justice organization Equal Rights Advocates; OutFront, Minnesota’s largest LGBTQ advocacy organization; the Sacramento LGBT Community Center; the LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland; and The LGBTQ Center Long Beach.
CenterLink, a support organization for LGBTQ community centers across the United States, thanked Scott for her generosity.
“LGBTQ community centers across the country provide much-needed services and resources to our diverse communities,” Denise Spivak, the CEO of CenterLink, said in a statement. “We are glad that a prolific donor like MacKenzie Scott has recognized the important role that LGBTQ centers play in their communities and has included a number of centers in her latest round of funding. In the face of a wall of anti-LGBTQ bills and legislation this year, donations like this are needed now more than ever.”
Scott is no stranger to LGBTQ philanthropy, having given $46 million to LGBTQ nonprofits in 2020, as part of a larger $1.7 billion in donations benefitting organizations working on racial, social, and environmental justice issues.
According to Scott’s organization, Yield Giving, the 361 nonprofits were selected from a pool of 6,000 applicants. Awardees were divided into two tiers, with 279 in the top tier receiving $2 million each, and 82 organizations in the second tier receiving $1 million each.
Scott, who was previously married to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, previously announced in December that she had given $2.15 billion in donations to various charities or nonprofits over 2023, according to a database maintained by Yield Giving.
In 2022, she and her team donated more than $3.8 billion to 465 organizations over a nine-month period. That year, she gifted $436 million to Habitat for Humanity and $84.5 million to Girl Scouts of the USA, the largest-ever donation the organization has received from a single individual.
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