The Trevor Project Receives Historic $45 Million Gift From MacKenzie Scott

January 13, 2026 Dan Tracer

The record-breaking donation comes as LGBTQ+ youth face rising mental health risks and the loss of key federal crisis support.

Featured image by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images

Billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott has donated $45 million to The Trevor Project, giving the LGBTQ+ youth crisis intervention nonprofit the largest single gift in its history. The organization announced the donation on Monday, calling it a crucial boost as queer and trans young people face escalating mental health risks and shrinking public support systems.

“This historic donation from MacKenzie Scott comes at a time when The Trevor Project has never needed it more,” Jaymes Black, CEO of The Trevor Project, said in a statement. “LGBTQ+ youth in the U.S. are facing a growing mental health crisis, and the resources they have for support continue to be politicized and jeopardized. This gift provides a safety net for our life-saving suicide prevention and crisis intervention work, offering stability during a period of immense economic and political uncertainty.”

Black said the organization plans to invest the funds strategically to ensure long-term sustainability. “Thanks to MacKenzie Scott’s extraordinary generosity, we are well-positioned to continue working toward a world where every LGBTQ+ young person feels safe, seen, and supported exactly as they are,” Black said.

The donation follows the loss of significant federal funding last year, when the Trump administration ended the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline’s LGBTQ+ Youth Specialized Services program. The Trevor Project had helped staff that option and lost $25 million in funding as a result, even as demand for its services surged. After the 2024 election, the organization reported a 700 percent increase in calls, chats, and texts from young people seeking help.

“I literally could not believe it and it took some time. I actually gasped,” Black said of learning about Scott’s gift.

Scott previously donated $6 million to The Trevor Project in 2020 and has given billions to nonprofits focused on equity and social justice. Her support comes as research from The Trevor Project shows LGBTQ+ youth are more than four times as likely to attempt suicide as their peers, with nearly half having seriously considered suicide.

Black described the donation as more than financial relief, calling Scott’s second gift “a powerful validation,” of the organization’s work and impact. “We’re calling this our turnaround story.”