MacKenzie Scott is a lot of things, but the aspect of her personality that’s shining the most in recent times is her benevolence. The philanthropist ex-wife of Jeff Bezos has now donated billions to 286 different causes. This gregarious move totals $2.7billion after the $1.7 billion announced in July 2020 and $4.2 billion in December. All in all, Scott has given away about $8.5 billion in less than a year. She wrote that she and her new husband, Dan Jewett, as well as “a constellation of researchers and administrators and advisors,” are “attempting to give away a fortune that was enabled by systems in need of change,” and that they are “governed by a humbling belief that it would be better if disproportionate wealth were not concentrated in a small number of hands.”
Please spread the word about these remarkable teams (and when you do please help shift the culture by making them the subject of your story or comments) https://t.co/z6H2bXAtn2
— MacKenzie Scott (@mackenziescott) June 15, 2021
Some of her causes included higher education, organizations fighting ethnic and religious discrimination, arts and cultural institutions, and community engagement groups. MacKenzie Scott is the 22nd-richest person globally, with a net worth of $59.8billion, and has given away nearly 10 percent of her fortune since her 2019 divorce from the Amazon founder. Bezos, the literal richest man in the world, on the other hand, is not doing much on the altruistic front instead is currently focusing on blasting off into space on the first crewed flight of Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket ship.
We're honored to announce a transformational gift of $30 million to #BC, a sign of trust/validation of our direction with #BrowardUP. Thank you MacKenzie Scott for this donation that will create economic mobility in #BrowardCounty for generations to come. https://t.co/EwvZ3A9asz pic.twitter.com/eE2XZOG1wf
— Broward College (@BrowardCollege) June 15, 2021
While Scott’s generosity is applause-worthy fact is that she has made more than she’s been able to give away: The Amazon shares she received in her $38 billion divorce settlement are now worth roughly $60 billion due to the company’s success during the pandemic, a reflection of how the wealthiest people in the world personally benefited. In contrast, much of the rest of the world suffered.
The largest gift in UCF’s history will fuel social mobility, student success, academic excellence & faculty research for generations to come👏
Philanthropists @mackenziescott & Dan Jewett announced a $40 million investment to strengthen proven pathways to opportunity.
— UCF 😷 (@UCF) June 15, 2021
[Via – BBC]