How MacKenzie Scott’s $5.8 billion commitment to social and economic justice is a model for donors

The author and philanthropist MacKenzie Scott announced on Dec. 15 that she had given almost US$4.2 billion to hundreds of nonprofits. In July 2020, Scott revealed that she'd already given away nearly $1.7 billion to 116 organizations, many of which focused on racial justice, women's rights, LGBTQ equality, democracy and climate change. Don't attach strings All of Scott's gifts – many in the millions or tens of millions, like the $30 million she gave Hampton University and the $40 million to the Local Initiatives Support Corporation, which advocates for and builds affordable housing – were made without restrictions. Champion representation According to Scott, 91% of the racial equity organizations she funded in her initial round of massive giving, such as the Movement for Black Lives and LatinoJustice, are run by leaders of color. Backing groups led by people directly affected by an issue is a common tenet of social justice giving at a time when organizations led by people of color receive less funding than white-led groups.