The Disability Rights Fund (DRF) proudly announces an $8 million gift from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. This donation is an unprecedented investment from an individual donor and comes on the heels of DRF’s 15th year of work. We deeply appreciate this endorsement of our participatory model and resourcing of disability movements. This gift provides us with essential funding to implement our ambitious 5-year strategic plan, slated to launch in early 2024. With the plan as a roadmap, we are ready to scale our support to disability rights movements.
For too long, the disability rights movement has been egregiously under-acknowledged and under-resourced by mainstream philanthropy. We need authentic commitment to this work from the donor community. “MacKenzie Scott’s extraordinary gift is a clarion call for better and more funding for inclusion globally. We need more feminist funders, like Scott, who recognize the power and expertise of grassroots movement builders and communities,” said Catalina Devandas, Executive Director of DRF.
Since 2008, DRF and our sister organization, the Disability Rights Advocacy Fund, have mobilized over $46 million in grants to 437 organizations in 40 countries. Through Scott’s generous support, we will continue advocating for a world where persons with disabilities are leaders and decision-makers for all inclusive solutions, making ‘Nothing Without Us’ a reality!