Immigration Equality Receives Transformative Award from MacKenzie Scott’s Yield Giving

New York, NY (March 19, 2024) — Today, MacKenzie Scott’s Yield Giving Open Call announced Immigration Equality as one of 361 grantees. Immigration Equality was selected from a pool of over 6,000 organizations with budgets under $5 million working with people experiencing the greatest need in the United States. They are one of 23 LGBTQ organizations and 67 immigration organizations to receive this award.

“We are very grateful to MacKenzie Scott and the Yield Giving donor team for such a generous award, which we will use to serve LGBTQ and HIV-positive asylum seekers and refugees,” said Aaron C. Morris, Executive Director of Immigration Equality. “We are honored to be chosen alongside a remarkable pool of social change organizations, including dozens of other LGBTQ and immigrant rights groups. This gift will be a catalyst that will enable Immigration Equality to amplify our efforts to secure justice and equality for queer, trans, and HIV-positive immigrants and families.”

For nearly 30 years, Immigration Equality has worked to secure safe haven, freedom, and equality for the LGBTQ and HIV-positive communities. Through direct legal services, policy advocacy, and impact litigation, they support immigrants who face discrimination based on who they are and whom they love. Each year, Immigration Equality directly represents more than 750 individuals in their asylum and refugee claims, maintaining a 99% case win rate. The organization also makes free legal advice and resources available to thousands more.

“We are excited that our partnership with Yield Giving has resonated with so many organizations,” said Cecilia Conrad, CEO of Lever for Change. “In a world teeming with potential and talent, the Open Call has given us an opportunity to identify, uplift, and empower transformative organizations that often remain unseen.”

In March 2023, Yield Giving launched an Open Call for community-led, community-focused organizations whose explicit purpose is to enable individuals and families to achieve substantive improvement in their well-being through foundational resources. The Open Call received 6,353 applications and initially planned for 250 awards of $1 million each.

In the Fall of 2023, organizations top-rated by their peers advanced to a second round of review by an external Evaluation Panel recruited for experience relevant to this cause and underwent a final round of due diligence. In light of the remarkable work of these organizations, as judged by their peers and external panelists, the donor team decided to expand the awardee pool and the award amount.

More information on the Yield Giving Open Call and other initiatives can be found at www.leverforchange.org.