Pittsburgh’s Urban League receives $6M from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott
The Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh received a record-breaking gift Monday from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott.
Scott, who divorced billionaire Jeff Bezos in 2019, gave $6 million to the Urban League. The nonprofit’s mission is to help African Americans achieve economic self-reliance, parity, power and civil rights.
Scott has donated billions of dollars to charitable organizations across the globe.
Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh President & CEO Carlos T. Carter said such a large gift to a nonprofit led by African Americans is rare and will help make strides to a more equitable Pittsburgh. He commended Scott and hopes other philanthropists will follow suit.
The $6 million donation is the single largest contribution in the Pittsburgh nonprofit’s 104-year history.
“By placing racial equity and social justice at the forefront of her philanthropic mission, Ms. Scott is shining a much-needed spotlight on the nation’s structural and institutional limitations and helping to build a stronger, more resilient society for everyone,” Carter said in a release.
The Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh said it will determine how to use the money as part of its strategic planning process, scheduled to begin in January.
Pittsburgh’s Urban League is one of 91 Urban League affiliates across the United States. 25 of which have received donations from Scott.
Ryan Deto is a TribLive reporter covering politics, Pittsburgh and Allegheny County news. A native of California’s Bay Area, he joined the Trib in 2022 after spending more than six years covering Pittsburgh at the Pittsburgh City Paper, including serving as managing editor. He can be reached at rdeto@triblive.com.
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