Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott donates $2.7 billion
June 16, 2021
Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott announced Tuesday in a blog post that she is donating $2.7 billion (€2.2 billion) to 286 organizations in "categories and communities that have been underfunded and overlooked."
What did Scott say about the donations?
The billionaire said her contributions were focused on "equity-based nonprofits" and organizations fighting racial injustice in society.
Scott also said the giving was motivated by wealth inequality. Her husband, Seattle science teacher Dan Jewett, was also involved in choosing organizations in need.
“Me, Dan, a constellation of researchers and administrators and advisers — we are all attempting to give away a fortune that was enabled by systems in need of change," Scott said
"In this effort, we are governed by a humbling belief that it would be better if disproportionate wealth were not concentrated in a small number of hands, and that the solutions are best designed and implemented by others," she added.
Has Scott given to charity before?
This is Scott's third round of charitable giving since the beginning of last year.
Scott said in July 2020 that she gave $1.7 billion in donations to nonprofits focused on racial justice, LGBTQ rights, democracy and climate change, among other issues.
In December, she said she had donated an additional $4.15 billion to organizations helping citizens economically impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Scott became one of the richest people in the world after her divorce to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos in 2019. She is worth around $60 billion (€49.5 billion), according to US business magazine Forbes.
She has signed The Giving Pledge, which means she has committed to donating at least half of her wealth to charity.
wd/wmr (Reuters, AP)