Once in a blue moon, a billionaire actually comes through.
Billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott has donated $45 million to The Trevor Project—the largest single gift in the LGBTQ+ youth crisis organization’s 27-year history.
The timing? Impeccable.
THE BACKSTORY: Six months ago, the Trump administration terminated federal funding for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline’s LGBTQ+ youth services. The decision cost The Trevor Project an estimated $25 million and forced the organization to launch an emergency fundraising campaign.
Scott’s donation nearly doubles that loss in a single check.
“I literally could not believe it and it took some time. I actually gasped,” Trevor Project CEO Jaymes Black told the Associated Press.
BY THE NUMBERS: The need has never been greater:
- LGBTQ+ young people are more than four times as likely to attempt suicide as their peers
- The Trevor Project’s latest study found increasing rates of anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation among queer youth between September 2023 and March 2025
- The mental health crisis is getting worse, not better
“This historic donation from MacKenzie Scott comes at a time when The Trevor Project has never needed it more,” Black said. “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.”
The organization has been through hell over the past few years.
The board ousted the previous CEO in 2022. Multiple rounds of layoffs followed—including another round last July after the federal funding cuts. The 2026 budget is $47 million, down from a peak of over $83 million in 2023.
“We are a smaller organization than we were before,” Black acknowledged. “And we will continue to be really intentional and really mindful around growth and what growth really means for the organization.”
FOR CONTEXT: Scott, whose fortune largely comes from her divorce settlement with Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, has made giving away her billions her full-time job.
She previously donated $6 million to The Trevor Project in 2020 and gave more than $7 billion to nonprofits in 2025 alone. Her team conducts extensive research before making grants—meaning this wasn’t impulse charity but a calculated bet on the organization’s long-term viability.
“MacKenzie Scott’s folks were clear, like this gift was made for long-term impact,” Black said.
THE BOTTOM LINE: “We’re calling this our turnaround story,” Black told reporters.
The Trevor Project plans to use the funds to strengthen its 24/7 crisis services, build new technology solutions, and keep showing up for queer kids when their own government won’t.
For anyone in crisis, The Trevor Project’s services remain available 24/7:
- Phone: 1-866-488-7386
- Text: START to 678-678
- Chat: TheTrevorProject.org
