MacKenzie Scott, ex-wife of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, donates millions of her personal wealth that she won from her divorce settlement to historically Black colleges. It’s reported that she donated over $100 million to six schools.
Scott recently noted on Twitter that she dropped the ‘Bezos’ surname and is now using the “middle name I grew up with, after my grandfather Scott,” she wrote.
Scott is the third riches woman in the world. Her net worth is reported to be at $36 billion, according to Forbes. Most of her wealth comes from her 4% stake in Amazon that she got from her divorce settlement.
“There’s no question in my mind that anyone’s personal wealth is the product of a collective effort, and of social structures which present opportunities to some people, and obstacles to countless others.”
Scott announced in a Medium blog post on Tuesday that she has donated $1.7 billion to charity.
She listed some of the organizations she has donated money to over the past year:
- Racial Equity: $ 586,700,000
- LGBTQ+ Equity: $ 46,000,000
- Gender Equity: $ 133,000,000
- Economic Mobility: $ 399,500,000
- Empathy & Bridging Divides: $ 55,000,000
- Functional Democracy: $ 72,000,000
- Public Health: $ 128,300,000
- Global Development: $ 130,000,000
- Climate Change: $ 125,000,000
Howard University, Xavier University of Louisiana and Hampton University confirmed that they received the largest single donation in their schools’ history.
“Though this work is ongoing and will last for years, I’m posting an update today because my own reflection after recent events revealed a dividend of privilege I’d been overlooking: the attention I can call to organizations and leaders driving change.”
