MacKenzie Scott Donates $45 Million to The Trevor Project, Amid Trump Funding Cuts

The Trevor Project, a nonprofit best known for its suicide prevention for LGBTQ+ youth, announced Monday it has received a $45 million gift from billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott — the largest one-time donation in the organization’s 27-year history.

The contribution, made in late 2025, is intended to support the organization’s long-term sustainability and arrives at a critical juncture, said Janson Wu, senior vice president of philanthropy at The Trevor Project.

Last year, the federal government cut $25 million in funding that the organization had relied on to operate its crisis services, including the 988 lifeline that connects youths to counselors.

“This gift from MacKenzie Scott could not have come at a more critical and crucial time,” Wu said. “What this transformational investment will do is allow us to ensure that when young people reach out to us, there will be a compassionate, caring person on the other end to take their calls.”

Scott’s fortune largely comes from her ex-husband, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.

In 2020, Scott donated $6 million to the group. Phil Buchanan, president of the Center for Effective Philanthropy, said this second, much larger gift is an order of magnitude bigger than a typical grant and serves as a powerful signal to the broader philanthropic community.

“It shores them up. It’s a huge signal to their other funders that they’re going to be okay, that they’re going to be well-funded and stable,” Buchanan said.

“It provides a sort of space to be innovative. If you’re on the hamster wheel running from grant to grant, never quite sure you can make it work, it’s very difficult to dream up new ideas.”

The Trevor Project operates on an annual budget of approximately $49 million, which must be raised every year. While Scott’s contribution is a one-time gift, Wu said the organization learned a “valuable lesson” when federal funding was severed.

He noted the group is now focused on diversifying its revenue to ensure the organization remains sustainable for generations to come.

The funding reaches the organization at a time when its latest research indicates that mental health challenges for queer youth are intensifying. According to the nonprofit, an estimated 1.8 million LGBTQ+ young people in the United States seriously consider suicide each year.

Experts like Buchanan note that as federal support for equity-focused organizations becomes increasingly tied to political shifts, private philanthropy is being forced to fill the gaps. Buchanan said that while private donors cannot fill every hole left by government cuts, bold action like Scott’s encourages other wealthy individuals to act.

In addition to research and advocacy, the nonprofit operates 24/7 crisis services in the U.S. and Mexico, including phone, text and chat lifelines. Wu said the organization will spend the next several months roadmapping a plan to ensure the gift strengthens the organization’s infrastructure while maintaining its reliance on a broad community of supporters.

“We are committed to growing our community of support and philanthropy, so that we can sustain our life-saving services year after year, while also making really responsible decisions on how we invest this one-time investment from MacKenzie Scott,” Wu said.

The Trevor Project is also urging the U.S. Supreme Court to reject state-level sports bans targeting transgender athletes, arguing that anti-trans policies contribute to the worsening mental health crisis.