On Tuesday, philanthropist MacKenzie Scott announced that she had made substantial financial gifts to 286 organizations. Namati is humbled to be among the powerhouse group of recipients and grateful for Ms. Scott’s progressive approach to philanthropy.
In a blog post, Ms. Scott explained that she and her team focused on distributing the funds to “equity-oriented… high impact organizations”. Namati’s inclusion in this cohort demonstrates a growing recognition of the critical role legal empowerment plays in advancing equity, democracy, and justice — a recognition our existing supporters already share.
It is to these pioneering supporters, past and present, that we say thank you. You made this possible. Your belief in our mission and approach has enabled us to assist communities to remedy injustices and improve laws & systems that benefit millions, and to grow the Legal Empowerment Network into the largest community of grassroots justice defenders in the world. You’ve enabled us to become an organization that fosters deep and sustainable change across the globe.
We are carefully deliberating how we will deploy Ms. Scott’s gift. We hope to use a portion of the funds to catalyze more support for, and participation in, grassroots justice efforts.
However we use this one-time gift, we know this much to be true: it will bolster our work, but it will not accomplish our mission. Realizing social and environmental justice requires all of us to speak up, take action, and support each other along the way. We hope that you will all continue to walk with us on this journey to justice.