In just four months, MacKenzie Scott has donated $4.2 billion to food banks and emergency relief funds. She has donated to a total of 384 organizations and is part of her plan to donate a huge chunk of her fortune.
After considering more than 6,500 organizations, Scott and her team picked 384 organizations to donate to. The organizations she chose include providing for disadvantaged communities, education for marginalized individuals, and legal defense funds for victims of discrimination. Recipients of the donation include institutions of higher education and food banks. For small businesses, Scott’s donation equated to the amount of their annual operating budget. This is enough proof that a portion of a billionaire’s donation holds so much power for struggling smaller businesses.
Four months ago, Ms. Scott donated $1.7 to 116 organizations. Some of those included historically black colleges and universities. To call the attention of other philanthropists, Scott has decided to name the groups that received donations, just what she did for her July donation.
Lat year, she committed to The Giving Pledge, which is, according to the website, ‘a commitment by the world’s wealthiest individuals and families to dedicate the majority of their wealth to giving back.’ It now includes more than 200 of the world’s wealthiest people.
Ms. Scott is a philanthropist, author, and happens to be the world’s 18th richest person. This year, her wealth increased from $23.6 billion to $60.7 billion. In total, Scott’s donations have amounted to nearly $6 billion this year.
Jeff Bezos, Mackenzie Scott’s ex-husband and Amazon CEO, remains the world’s richest person with a net worth of $185 billion. Last February, the Amazon CEO has also promised $10 billion to issues involving climate change. In November, he handed out $800 million to 16 groups. He also gave away more than $100 million to 42 organizations to fight family homelessness for his Day One Fund. The Day One Fund is a non-profit organization that Bezos started to provide Montessori education to low-income communities.