Mackenzie Scott Says She Has Given $4.1B to Charity

Scott noted that she was ā€œfar from completingā€ her giving pledge.

Then-MacKenzie Bezos arrives at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party in Beverly Hills, Calif.
Then-MacKenzie Bezos arrives at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party in Beverly Hills, Calif.
Associated Press

SEATTLE (AP) — MacKenzie Scott, philanthropist, author and former wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, has announced that she has given away $4.1 billion in the past four months to hundreds of organizations as part of a giving pledge she announced last year.

Scott announced her pandemic-era philanthropy in a Medium post Tuesday, The Seattle Times reported. She described the coronavirus pandemic as ā€œa wrecking ball in the lives of Americans already struggling,ā€ and noted is has been worse for women, people of color and those living in poverty.

ā€œMeanwhile,ā€ she wrote, ā€œit has substantially increased the wealth of billionaires."

After donating $1.68 billion to 116 nonprofits, universities, community development groups and legal organizations last July, Scott asked a team of advisers to help her ā€œaccelerateā€ her 2020 giving with immediate help to those financially gutted by the pandemic.

She said the team used a data-driven approach, identifying organizations with strong leadership and results, specifically in communities with high food insecurity, racial inequity and poverty rates, ā€œand low access to philanthropic capital.ā€

Scott and her team started with 6,490 organizations, researched 822 and put 438 ā€œon hold for now,ā€ waiting for more details about their impact, management and how they treat employees or community members.

In total, 384 organizations in 50 states, Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C., will share $4,158,500,000 in gifts, including food banks, emergency relief funds ā€œand support services for those most vulnerable.ā€ Other organizations address ā€œlong-term systemic inequities that have been deepened by the crisis,ā€ such as debt relief, employment training, credit and financial services for under-resourced communities and education for historically marginalized and underserved people. The money will also support legal defense funds ā€œthat take on institutional discrimination.ā€

Washington state organization Craft3, a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) focused on investing in businesses owned by people of color, including Black and Indigenous owners, received $10 million. It is one of several CDFIs nationally to receive an investment from Scott.

ā€œWe are incredibly honored by the recognition that comes with this unprecedented gift. Community Development Financial Institutions are the front line of inclusive, equitable finance in the United States,ā€ Adam Zimmerman, president and CEO of Craft3, said in a statement.

Scott noted that she was ā€œfar from completingā€ her giving pledge, and urged others to follow her lead in whatever way they could: time, a voice or money.

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