MacKenzie Scott Recognizes the Justice and Diversity Center in San Francisco with a $1.4 Million Unrestricted Gift
Scott’s generous gift to the Justice and Diversity Center of The Bar Association of San Francisco showcases the strength of the legal services provided to thousands of vulnerable community members and diversity pipeline programs for the legal profession.
December 18, 2023, San Francisco—Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott has awarded the Justice and Diversity Center (JDC), a gift of $1.4 million through her charitable organization, Yield Giving. Scott’s gift will help the JDC fulfill its mission of advancing fairness and equality by providing pro bono legal services to low-income people and educational programs that foster diversity in the legal profession.
The JDC’s 2022 Impact Report shares how mission goals are reached through our four core programs. The Homeless Advocacy Project served 1038 clients, helping people stay in their homes or access critical services, and the Immigrant Legal Defense Program, “Attorney of the Day,” provided 1187 consultations to the immigrant community. Pro Bono Legal Services Family Law Project assisted in 836 cases, and Diversity Educational Programs had 630 San Francisco Unified School District students participate in college access and legal profession initiatives. These statistics are just a sample of the extensive programs and services provided to under-resourced community members and students.
Through their quiet research approach, Yield Giving evaluated the JDC’s work through a series of criteria, including its high potential for sustained positive impact, multi-year track record, evaluation standards, and leadership team.
BASF and JDC Executive Director and General Counsel Yolanda Jackson states, “I was beyond thrilled when I got the call about this generous gift from the Yield Giving organization. It says a great deal about JDC’s work and solid reputation that we were noticed and selected by MacKenzie Scott who had a vast number of non-profit organizations from which to choose to support. What an honor! It is our hope that this gift conveys to our current donors and our potential donors that our work in San Francisco is necessary, critical, relevant and worth their support. Our clients and underserved students will greatly benefit from this gift. It is our hope that others within and outside of the legal community will be inspired by this gift and choose to support our JDC’s work in the areas of underserved youth education and opportunities, family security, domestic violence services and housing rights.
2023 BASF and JDC Board President Vidhya Prabhakaran shares, “I am grateful for the generous gift from MacKenzie Scott to the Justice and Diversity Center. This significant donation underscores that the Justice & Diversity Center is much more than a check-the-box donation for law firms and legal professionals who work in San Francisco, but rather an impactful way for any thoughtful donor to invest in bettering the community here in this City that we all love.”
2024 BASF and JDC Board President Teresa Johnson adds, “This leadership contribution from MacKenzie Scott, one of the leading philanthropists of our time, is an incredible recognition of the importance of JDC’s work in the San Francisco community. Yield Giving’s generous gift provides a springboard for additional fundraising to allow JDC to undertake a much-needed expansion of its four core programs focused on the homeless, immigrants, those in need of pro bono legal support, and diversity.”
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The Justice and Diversity Center (JDC) mobilizes the power of our local legal community and provides free legal services to low-income San Franciscans and nonprofit organizations that serve them. The JDC’s work is focused through four program areas: Pro Bono Legal Services, the Homeless Advocacy Project, Diversity Educational Programs, and Immigrant Legal Defense Programs.
The Bar Association of San Francisco (BASF) is a nonprofit voluntary membership organization of attorneys, law students, and legal professionals in the San Francisco Bay Area. Founded in 1872, BASF enjoys the support of more than 5,300 individuals, law firms, corporate legal departments, and law schools. BASF provides a collective voice for public advocacy, advances professional growth and education, and attempts to elevate the standards of integrity, honor, and respect in the practice of law.