Equality Fund snags US$10 million donation from billionaire philanthropist Mackenzie Scott
Why It Matters
Research has demonstrated recipients of Mackenzie Scott’s unrestricted gifts have used the billionaire benefactor’s support to launch new programs, increase the number of constituents served, and improve existing programmatic work.
The Equality Fund has become the latest Canadian recipient of billionaire Mackenzie Scott’s philanthropy, receiving US$10 million to support their feminist work globally.
“This unrestricted gift is a bold affirmation of our feminist values and vision,” the organization said in a press release Thursday.
“It is a vote of confidence in our model to resource feminist movements with flexible, multi-year funding and deep trust.”
Since her divorce from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos in 2019, Scott has given about $16.5 billion to more than 1,900 charitable initiatives, often to those with a social or racial justice philosophy.
Many donations have been unrestricted, allowing charities to spend the funds as they wish with few strings attached.
The Equality Fund is an Ottawa-based Canadian charity that supports women, girls and trans people worldwide.
In 2018, the organization received $300 million from the federal government to provide sustainable funding for women’s movements on a global scale.
Since then, they’ve granted $53 million to dozens of organizations, often through partnerships with other funds.
For example, in 2019, the fund partnered with the Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice on a five-year $4.8 million initiative to resource women’s rights and LGBTQ+ organizations in the Caribbean.
The Equality Fund will use Scott’s gift as a catalyst to secure additional monetary support for feminist organizations worldwide.
“Transformation on a global scale demands a table of champions far bigger than the world has ever seen, and this important gift can leverage many more,” they said.
Additional investments in feminist movements are needed because of the growing urgency of gender-based threats, the organization added.
“All of us are watching the threats grow more urgent, including a well-funded anti-gender movement targeting the fundamental freedoms and dignity of women, girls, and LGBTQI+ people the world over.”
“We’ll leverage the compounding effect of this gift to power our grantmaking—supporting scalable solutions all across the globe when they have never been more needed.”
Grantees use Scott gift to uplift others
The Equality Fund is not the first Canadian organization to receive a gift from Scott.
In March 2022, MakeWay, a public foundation based in Yellowknife, Whitehorse, Vancouver, and Toronto, received US$15 million — the largest grant in the organization’s history.
Since then, they’ve used a portion of the funds to support other organizations through re-granting and wraparound support.
This is a common use of funds, according to research conducted by the Center for Effective Philanthropy, an American organization.
In a 2022 report, the organization found 40 per cent of participating survey respondents who received grants in 2020 and 2021 used a portion of funds to re-grant to other organizations or individuals.
Eighty per cent also said they had or planned to spend some of the grant funds on collaborations and partnerships.
In the second of three reports studying Scott’s giving, published this November, CEP found Scott’s grants have significantly supported recipients’ capacity to pursue opportunities that hadn’t been possible with previous funding.
The funds have also helped organizations to engage in racial, economic and gender justice work.
Sixty-six per cent of respondents said they had used funds on programs to advance racial equity, 59 per cent to advance economic mobility and 43 per cent for gender equity.
CEP found Scott’s grantees are also commonly using funds to strengthen their long-term future, including adding staff, improving technological systems, or managing budget shortfalls.
“Leaders report improved staff morale, increased creativity, and increased focus on equity internally and in their programmatic work,” the report said.
The Equality Fund said they intend to remain in close contact with their constituents as they begin to leverage the gift.
“We will continue to be guided by the advice of [global feminist] movements through our dynamic advisory bodies, a board governed by movement leaders, and transparent and participatory decision-making processes,” the release said.
“Ultimately, this gift belongs to all of us, as does the responsibility of deploying it with integrity.”
Tell us this made you smarter | Contact us | Report error
