Jeff Bezos' ex-wife MacKenzie Scott donates $4bn in four months
MacKenzie Scott, the former wife of Amazon">Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, has donated over $4 billion in just four months. The 18th richest person in the world asked her team members to come up with a plan for her to give away a portion of her massive fortune, faster. Nearly 400 non-profit groups have benefited in the recent months, said reports. Here's more.
The pandemic has been difficult: Scott
In a blog post on Medium, Scott called the coronavirus pandemic a "wrecking ball in the lives of Americans already struggling." "Economic losses and health outcomes alike have been worse for women, for people of color, and for people living in poverty," she wrote, adding that the wealth of billionaires has swelled during the same time period.
From 6,000 organizations, 384 were selected
Notably, Scott's advisors selected 384 groups, from nearly 6,000 organizations, which would receive the donations. The groups "operating in communities facing high projected food insecurity, high measures of racial inequity, high local poverty rates, and low access to philanthropic capital" were focused on. Melissa Berman, Chief Executive Officer of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, said Scott's donations could be "biggest annual distributions by a living individual."
One recipient hadn't even applied for grant
Interestingly, one of the recipients, Scott King, who runs Meals on Wheels of Tampa, informed he hadn't even applied for the grant. It was Scott's team who contacted him. "This comes at a great time for us. There are areas in and around Tampa that aren't being served and need to be," King, whose organization makes 2,600 meals per day, told Bloomberg.
It has been a challenging year, said another
Separately, Betsy Biemann, CEO of Maine-based Coastal Enterprises Inc., who received $10 million, said the money is equivalent to the organization's annual operating budget. "It's an amazing day at the end of what's been a very challenging year," Beimann said. In 2019, Scott signed the Giving Pledge, saying she has a disproportionate amount of money to give away.
Scott promised to indulge in philanthropy
"My approach to philanthropy will continue to be thoughtful. It will take time and effort and care. But I won't wait. And I will keep at it until the safe is empty," Scott, who ended her marriage with Bezos in 2019, said.
