Black Ensemble Theater founder, Executive Director and CEO Jackie Taylor announced that the theater has received a $5 million grant from MacKenzie Scott.
Taylor said she hopes that this gift will motivate other philanthropists and funders to also support this Chicago company and the arts.
CNN.com reported that Scott, the ex-wife of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, donated $2.74 billion to organizations that focus on the arts and combating racial discrimination.
At $193.5 billion, Bezos is currently the world's wealthiest person, and Scott's fortune is valued at about $59 billion, according to Forbes. She married new husband Dan Jewett in March.
In July 2020, she announced that she had given away $1.7 billion of her fortune to 116 organizations to "areas of need" including racial equity, LGBTQ+ equity, functional democracy and climate change.
In a press release, Taylor stated:
"In MacKenzie's Scott announcements of the grants that she awarded, it was said that the purpose of her gifts was to enable the work of the organizations. She also stated that it was 'a signal of trust and encouragement, to them and to others.' This statement gave me great pride in knowing that our work to eradicate racism and its [devastating] effects was being recognized, supported, and respected in such a significant way.
"MacKenzie went on to ask a very important question: 'Would these organizations still benefit from more (more advocates, more money, more volunteers)? Yes.' That YES was music to my ears. I think it is vitally important that funders, philanthropists, and others understand that the impact we make at Black Ensemble Theater is directly tied to their continued support. For the sustainability of impactful programming, systems, structures and staff, fundraising must be ongoing. It can never stop.
"Again, we are extremely grateful for this substantial gift. It will assist us in our recovery from the devastation of COVID. We are in our second year of having no earned income. It is going to take at least another 2 years for full and complete recovery. This gift will indeed help us through that recovery process.
"The gift received from MacKenzie Scott has strengthened our foundation and enhanced our ability to continue our important work within the community. We hope it will serve as an impetus for others to also be financially supportive, helping us to continue delivering our educational outreach programming to thousands of underserved youths, and producing vital productions and programs that help to dismantle the foundation of racism.
"We have great dreams for the future of Black Ensemble TheaterMacKenzie Scott has played an important role in moving our dreams toward reality."
Taylor founded Black Ensemble Theater in 1976.