Lawyers for Civil Rights Receives $2 Million Gift From the Yield Giving Open Call 

March 19, 2024 

BOSTON – Today, MacKenzie Scott’s Yield Giving announced a $2 million gift to Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR), as part of the Yield Giving Open Call. In a pool of 6,353 applicants across the United States, LCR was among the highest-ranking organizations nationally. 

“Lawyers for Civil Rights is extraordinarily grateful to be recognized as a leading organization by MacKenzie Scott and Yield Giving, as judged by peer and external evaluators,” said Iván Espinoza-Madrigal, LCR’s Executive Director. “This award will be transformative for our organization, our clients, and the civil rights movement, as we continue expanding our life-changing and law-changing work across Massachusetts and New England.” 

“This is the largest single gift ever received by Lawyers for Civil Rights in its 56-year history,” said Lisa Pirozzolo, Co-Chair of LCR’s Board of Directors and Partner at WilmerHale. “As a small organization with an outsized local and national impact, LCR has always had to balance its creative and courageous work with limited resources.” 

“This is a new day for LCR, with significant and flexible resources that will allow us to take risks, test bold new ideas, and bring our vision of equity and justice to life,” added Inez Friedman-Boyce, Co-Chair of LCR’s Board of Directors and Chief Legal Officer at HarborOne Bancorp.

Yield Giving launched its Open Call in March 2023 for community-led and community-focused organizations whose explicit purpose is to enable individuals and families to achieve substantive improvement in their well-being through foundational resources. LCR originally applied for a $1 million expansion grant and was ultimately awarded twice that amount after a rigorous, multi-stage grant review process. 

“We are grateful for MacKenzie Scott’s visionary leadership and commitment to investing her wealth back directly into our communities,” said Loretta Richard, Treasurer of Lawyers for Civil Rights and Partner at Ropes & Gray. 

“Yield Giving is leading the way to a future of trust-based philanthropy, with generous, unrestricted grants that allow us to focus more on our clients and less on fundraising,” said Katherine Mulkern, LCR’s Development Director. 

“It’s an immense honor and responsibility to be recognized in this way by Yield Giving,” said Oren Sellstrom, LCR’s Litigation Director. “This grant will help us mobilize across Massachusetts and beyond, to take the fights that no one else will, and build new momentum in the fight for civil rights.” 

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Lawyers for Civil Rights

Lawyers for Civil Rights works with communities of color and immigrants to fight discrimination and foster equity through creative and courageous legal advocacy, education, and economic empowerment. In partnership with law firms and community allies, LCR provides free, life-changing legal support to individuals, families, and small businesses. To learn more, visit www.lawyersforcivilrights.org. 

Yield Giving 

Established by MacKenzie Scott to share a financial fortune created through the effort of countless people, Yield Giving is named after a belief in adding value by giving up control. To date, Yield’s network of staff and advisors has yielded over $16,500,000,000 to 1,900+ non-profit teams to use as they see fit for the benefit of others. To learn more, visit www.yieldgiving.com.

Lever for Change

The Open Call was managed in partnership with Lever for Change, which connects donors with bold solutions to the world’s biggest problems—including issues like racial inequity, gender inequality, lack of access to economic opportunity, and climate change. Founded in 2019 as a nonprofit affiliate of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Lever for Change has influenced over $1.7 billion in grants to date and provided support to more than 145 organizations. To learn more, visit www.leverforchange.org.