MIT to Donate to Four Nonprofits Supporting Survivors of Sexual Abuse

MIT has selected four nonprofits that serve survivors of sexual abuse and exploitation to receive gifts totaling $850,000. This is the amount that convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein donated to the Institute between 2002 and 2017, as determined by a recently completed review.

Following several months of research and deliberation, MIT’s Committee on Sexual Misconduct Prevention and Response (CSMPR) identified the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center; the EVA Center; My Life My Choice; and the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts’ (Boston, MA) Domestic and Sexual Violence Project as the recommended recipients of the Institute’s gifts. MIT President L. Rafael Reif has accepted the recommendation. All four organizations include the City of Cambridge in their areas of service.

The gifts fulfill a pledge MIT made following revelations that the Institute had accepted donations from Epstein. In an Aug. 22 letter, President Reif wrote that MIT would donate an amount equal to the funds the Institute received from Epstein to organizations that support survivors of sexual abuse. At President Reif’s request, the 29-member CSMPR, which includes MIT students, faculty, and staff, several of whom work closely with survivors of sexual abuse, agreed to evaluate organizations for the donations and advise him.

The Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts

Through its Domestic and Sexual Violence Project, this Roxbury-based organization focuses on the barriers that impede victims and survivors from accessing services, and on safety and economic empowerment. It provides education and training to deal with abusive actions, housing resources, and physical and mental health care as well as spiritual counseling. Support for this program will enable expanded services for housing and for relocation assistance for victims and families to escape abusive situations. The committee noted that this organization is based in an underserved African-American community and is increasingly serving an immigrant population, and will benefit from additional financial resources.

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