An unexpected gift is giving an American charity new hope in difficult times.
The Trevor Project, a 2SLGBTQ+ non-profit, has seen an increase in calls to its youth crisis hotline during Donald Trump’s presidency. At the same time, the administration has reduced the organization’s funding and ability to make calls.
Then a phone call from author Mackenzie Scott’s charity changed everything.
Scott – a billionaire philanthropist whose wealth comes largely from her ex-husband, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos – has committed US$45 million (CDN$62.2 million) to Trevor’s project.
“We almost fell off our chairs,” said Janson Wu, the organization’s senior vice president of philanthropy. As it happens Host Nil Kӧksal.
Donations with no strings attached are the nonprofit’s $47-million annual budget and nearly double that. $25 million in federal funding lost under Trump.
“It was amazing,” Wu said.
Critical time
It couldn’t have come at a more critical time, Wu said.
In July, the White House The 988 National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline has stopped supporting the “Press 3” option The Trevor Project helped staff with bisexual, gay and gender non-conforming youth.
Then-White House Office of Management and Budget spokeswoman Rachel Cowley; He told NBC News. The administration “does not provide taxpayer funding for counseling services where children are encouraged to adopt radical sexual ideologies through ‘counselors’ without their parents’ consent or knowledge.”
The Trevor Project continues to operate an independent hotline that reaches about 250,000 youth in the U.S. each year, but at Press 3 it serves another 250,000 callers.
“We unfortunately had to reduce our ability to answer calls,” Wu said.
“What this grant allows us to do, first and foremost, is to strengthen our crisis services so that we have the capacity to answer the call and ensure that when a young person comes to us, there is a caring and competent counselor on the other line.”
Those calls are coming in strong and fast, he said.
According to Wu, Trevor Project has seen a 700 percent increase in calls since Trump’s inauguration and will continue to see “every time a new attack occurs.”
For example, he said he saw an increase in calls after that. This week’s US Supreme Court case Challenging state restrictions on transgender women and girls competing in female school sports.
“We know that young people are paying attention to political discourse and political attacks on our society and their mental health is suffering,” he said.
Big time donor
The unexpected donation comes through Scott’s philanthropic organization, The Giving Pledge, which has committed $7 billion to nonprofits by 2025.
Promise to Give did not respond to CBC’s request for comment.
Scott is known for making large and unrestricted gifts to non-profits. She previously gave $6 million to The Trevor Project in 2020.
Except for an open call in 2023, you will not solicit project proposals or accept applications.
Although her gifts often exceed the recipient organization’s annual budget, Research from the US nonprofit Center for Effective Philanthropythe majority of users have seen long-term benefits from responsibly managed windshields.
Elisha Smith Arrillaga, vice president of research at the Center for Effective Philanthropy, said this was possible because of the rigorous vetting that Scott’s team members do before giving out gifts that are often unknown.
Wu Trevor Project is well aware of Scott’s vetting process, and she takes her team’s trust seriously.
“One of the things her team really makes sure to convey is Ms. Scott’s interest in these transformational gifts is really about long-term impact and planning,” he said.
We will take the next few months to think about what is the best use of this wonderful investment. How can it protect our organization and our lifesaving mission not just for the coming months or years, but for generations to come?
The Trevor Project has had financial and organizational problems in the past.
Non-profit board In the year He removed the controversial CEO in 2022 After several years of rapid growth, it led to an internal conflict. It has gone through a period of ups and downs since.
Among 2SLGBTQ+ youth, 39 percent have seriously considered suicide. According to Trevor’s own study of the project.
The calls to their hotline are “heartbreaking,” Wu said.
Feeling overwhelmed, Wu says he remembers the progress made in the field of 2SGBBTQ+ rights during his lifetime.
“As I get older, you can see a greater inclusion, compassion, greater justice,” he said.
“That’s why I think this mission and work is so important because of the vulnerability of young people.”