{"id":45437,"date":"2025-12-05T09:15:39","date_gmt":"2025-12-05T14:15:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jedfoundation.org\/?p=45437"},"modified":"2025-12-05T10:27:42","modified_gmt":"2025-12-05T15:27:42","slug":"the-jed-foundation-receives-40-million-gift-from-mackenzie-scott","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jedfoundation.org\/the-jed-foundation-receives-40-million-gift-from-mackenzie-scott\/","title":{"rendered":"The Jed Foundation Receives $40 Million Gift From MacKenzie Scott"},"content":{"rendered":"

The unrestricted gift is the second since 2022 and will advance JED\u2019s mission to support emotional well-being and prevent suicide for teens and young adults.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

[December 5, 2025, New York, New York]<\/b> \u2014 <\/span>The Jed Foundation (JED)<\/span><\/a>, a leading nonprofit that protects emotional health and prevents suicide for teens and young adults nationwide, today announced that it has received an extraordinarily generous $40 million gift from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The unrestricted gift, the largest in JED\u2019s history and arriving nearly four years after <\/span>Ms. Scott made a <\/span>$15 million donation to the organization<\/span><\/a>, comes at a critical time for youth mental health. Suicide is the <\/span>second-leading cause of death<\/span><\/a> among people aged 10 to 34, and according to a <\/span>2024 report<\/span> <\/a>by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2.6 million adolescents age 12 to 17 years (10.1%) had serious thoughts of suicide in the past year. Approximately 1.2 million (4.6 %) made a plan for suicide, and 700,000 (2.7%) attempted suicide in the past 12 months. And yet, mental health receives just <\/span>0.5% of all philanthropic health spending<\/span><\/a>, the lowest proportion of any area of health care funding.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe are deeply grateful for MacKenzie Scott\u2019s continued, transformational generosity to The Jed Foundation and the trust she has placed in us. The gift she made in 2022 helped catalyze the growth we\u2019ve since achieved, adding four million youth served through JED\u2019s school and community-based programs. Today\u2019s gift significantly builds on her support for our mission,\u201d says John MacPhee, JED\u2019s CEO. \u201cThis powerful endorsement of our direction and team allows us to think boldly and strategically about how we will dramatically elevate our impact. We plan to utilize these resources over the next five to eight years to ensure they create durable, sustainable change.\u201d<\/span>
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\n<\/span>\u201cMs. Scott’s milestone gift, as well as the continued support from our many generous donors, is very much appreciated and an altruistic testament to the importance of our work,\u201d said Adee Shepen, JED\u2019s chief growth officer. \u201cThe commitment from the philanthropic community is critical to the success of our team\u2019s tireless efforts and organization\u2019s mission helping young people thrive while also equipping them with lifelong skills for sustained emotional resilience and growth.\u201d<\/span>
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\n<\/span>For more than 25 years, JED has touched the lives of more than seven million students and formed partnerships with over 550 colleges, 150 high schools, and 28 school districts representing an additional 670 schools. JED also works with youth-serving community-based organizations, representing over 1.8 million youth, to strengthen their mental health, substance misuse, and suicide prevention programs and systems through its <\/span>Comprehensive Approach to Mental Health Promotion and Suicide Prevention<\/span><\/a>.<\/span>
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\n<\/span>A <\/span>recent report<\/span><\/a> by JED analyzed a decade of data (2013 to 2023) from schools participating in its <\/span>JED Campus<\/span><\/a> program and found that JED\u2019s Comprehensive Approach was effective. Schools that completed JED Campus saw statistically significant improvements in student mental health at the end of the program compared to baseline. Students reported they were:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n