MacKenzie Scott revealed on Wednesday that she has given nearly $3.9 billion to 465 nonprofits in the last nine months, including a record $275 million donations to Planned Parenthood.
Scott, the ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and a 51-year-old author-turned-philanthropist, detailed the reasoning behind her donations and provided a full list of recipients in a lengthy Medium post.
The funds were distributed to organizations working on a variety of issues, including climate change, reproductive rights, youth outreach, and assistance to military veterans and refugees.
“Over the last nine months, our team’s focus has included some new areas, but our goal has always been to support the needs of underrepresented people from all groups.” “There are no sides to the cause of equity,” Scott wrote in his blog post.
“It also cannot have a single solution.” Equity can only be realized when all parties involved have a chance to shape it,” she added.
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Scott’s personal fortune is estimated to be $49.4 billion, and following their divorce in 2019, he received a 25% stake in Amazon from Bezos.
In the last two years alone, she has donated more than $8 billion.
Scott has also signed The Giving Pledge, joining the ranks of other billionaires who have pledged to give away more than half of their personal fortunes during their lives.
In a separate press release, Planned Parenthood Federation of America confirmed Scott’s donation, noting that the $275 million sum was the largest contribution from a single donor in the organization’s history and was distributed across its national office and 21 affiliates.
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“This funding will support our efforts to advance health equity by removing racial and structural barriers for our patients in the communities where Planned Parenthood works,” said Alexis McGill Johnson, CFO and President of Planned Parenthood.
A day earlier, Habitat for Humanity announced a $436 million donation from Scott and her husband, Dan Jewett, with $25 million designated for its national office and the remainder divided among affiliates.
Scott has also given to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and its affiliates, FoodCorps, the National Council on Aging, and the Climate Justice Resilience Fund over the last nine months.
“When our giving team focuses on a system in which people are struggling, we don’t assume that we or any other single group can fix it.” “We don’t advocate for specific policies or reforms,” Scott clarified. “Instead, we seek a portfolio of organizations that promotes all people’s ability to participate in solutions.”
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