BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Buffalo Urban League announced Monday that they have received at $6 million donation from author and philanthropist MacKenzie Scott.
It is the largest contribution in Buffalo Urban League's 96-year history.
Scott, whose net worth is estimated at more than $30 billion, gives money to organizations around the world to bring health and racial equity to communities.
"We've been fighting for this community for many years, and us, like many other organizations, have had to punch above our weight class just to continue to serve this community," said President and CEO Thomas Beauford, Jr.
Beauford says the money will be used to strengthen their infrastructure and create additional programming to reach more people in the community.
"This gift will make an immense difference in the lives of people we serve, and we're honored and grateful that Miss Scott and her team have recognized the Buffalo Urban League, our values and the impact on the community," Beauford said of the gift.
This isn't the first gift Scott has bestowed to an organization in Western New York.
Last week, Scott gave a donation of $9 million to the Health Foundation of Western and Central New York, which works to improve health outcomes for underserved populations in our region.
“This remarkable gift from MacKenzie Scott reaffirms our ongoing commitment to pursuing racial and socioeconomic health equity in western and central New York,” said Cheryl Smith Fisher, Chair, Health Foundation Board of Trustees in a press release.
“Our team is thoughtfully determining how we can redistribute these funds in the community for the greatest possible impact. We see this moment as another opportunity to recognize that our grantee partners who lead frontline, on-the-ground work to improve community health are the true leaders in health equity efforts.”