PROVIDENCE – The United Way of Rhode Island received an eight-figure gift from a nationally prominent philanthropist that will help the nonprofit’s upcoming goals to promote racial equality in the Ocean State.
The organization announced Tuesday that it is the beneficiary of a $10 million gift from philanthropist and novelist MacKenzie Scott. The gift United Way received is part of Scott’s Giving Pledge initiative where she is giving the majority of her fortune to organizations that are focused on racial equality, meeting basic needs, LGBTQ+ equality and climate change, United Way said.
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“Beyond being an incredible and generous act of philanthropy, this gift further validates the critical importance of the work we have in front of us to reverse the root causes of the racial inequities that hold back our state,” said United Way of Rhode Island CEO and President Cortney Nicolato in a statement.
Nicolato also said the $10 million gift will be applied to long-term support for goals that United Way has set for the next five years and part of a larger initiative that will be announced by the organization in January 2021.
The gift was one of 384 donations announced Tuesday by Scott.
Scott also indicated that she had granted a gift to Meals on Wheels of Rhode Island, but the donation amount was not immediately available.
James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on Twitter at @James_Bessette.
