BILLIONAIRE and philanthropist MacKenzie Scott made a donation to Big Brothers Big Sisters of America in what the organization is saying was the biggest donation from one person in its history.
Scott is the ex-wife of former Amazon CEO, Jeff Bezos, and is ranked fifth on the Forbes 2022 list of biggest lifetime givers.
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How much money has MacKenzie Scott donated to charity?
Mackenzie Scott said she had identified 286 high-impact and underfunded organizations and donated over $2.7billion in gifts, in a self-published article on Medium in June 2021.
She has made contributions to more than 780 organizations, bringing her total donations, since July 2020, to $8.8billion, as of March 2022, according to Forbes.
Her previous donation to Habitat for Humanity International and 84 of its US affiliates in the amount of $436million, was reported by The Associated Press.
Jonathan Reckford, Habitat for Humanity International’s CEO, told the outlet, “We could not be more excited to get the gift at a time when, in some ways, the state of housing affordability is the worst that it has been in modern times.”
Scott’s newest donation to Big Brothers Big Sisters of America has superseded prior donations by giving $122.6million to the organization.
The organization says this is the largest donation they have received from a single person.
Artis Stevens, president, and chief executive of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America said in a statement, “We know that no one person, organization or gift can do this work alone, but one person—no matter their background—can make an incredible difference through positive and inspired action.
“MacKenzie’s investment and belief in Big Brothers Big Sisters shows this on a large scale.”
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Her previous contributions include donations to 286 organizations from the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre to racial equity funds in philanthropy and journalism.
What is MacKenzie Scott’s net worth?
After 25 years of marriage – as well as a trial separation – Bezos and Scott decided to split amicably in January 2019.
The pair settled their divorce, on April 4, 2021, with Scott retaining a four percent $36billion stake in Amazon.
Scott is estimated to be worth $43.6billion in 2022 according to Forbes.
She is currently the fourth-wealthiest woman in the world, according to Forbes’ 36th annual list of the World’s Billionaires.
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Did MacKenzie Scott re-marry after her divorce with Bezos?
Scott tied the knot with Dan Jewett, a high school science teacher from Washington two years after her divorce from Bezos.
Jewett announced his marriage with Scott in a post on The Giving Pledge, a platform where celebrities and the world’s richest commit to giving away the majority of their wealth throughout their lifetime.
“It is strange to be writing a letter indicating I plan to give away the majority of my wealth during my lifetime, as I have never sought to gather the kind of wealth required to feel like saying such a thing would have particular meaning,” Jewett wrote.
He added, “And now, in a stroke of happy coincidence, I am married to one of the most generous and kind people I know—and joining her in a commitment to pass on an enormous financial wealth to serve others.”
Speaking of Scott in his pledge, Jewett wrote, “I have seen many ways that MacKenzie has seen her efforts enhanced when she acts on the belief that those with common values but different perspectives, strengths, and experiences are essential to effecting positive change.
“We are united in that understanding and in our excitement for all we have to learn from so many people working in service of others.”
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