The former wife of Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos has now donated more money to charity in the last 2 years than Mr. Bezos has donated in his entire lifetime.
MacKenzie Scott, who divorced Bezos in 2019 after 25 years of marriage, has, according to Forbes magazine, now donated $8.6 billion in less than two years to over 750 different organisations. These organisations are focused on human rights, gender-equality, and racial justice amongst others.
Forbes estimates that Jeff Bezos has donated around $2.1 billion in his lifetime. On a percentage basis, Scott has donated 14% of her total wealth, while Bezos has donated less than 1% of his total wealth. Scott was awarded $53.5 billion as part of the 2019 divorce settlement.
Bezos has a number of charitable ventures which are expected to be funded over many years, including the Bezos Earth Fund, which is designed to tackle climate change. This is expected to receive $10 billion before 2030, he has already given the fund $443 million. Among other organisations Bezos has donated to, include $100 million to the President Barack Obama foundation and $96 million to homeless charities.
What divides the difference in charitable approach between Scott and Bezos is that Bezos has focused on larger organisations with large donations, while Scott has focused more upon grassroots organisations in which she is deeply personally invested.
Scott explains:
"[I am] attempting to give away a fortune that was enabled by systems in need of change. It would be better if disproportionate wealth were not concentrated in a small number of hands. Though we still have a lot to learn about how to act on these beliefs without contradicting and subverting them, we can begin by acknowledging that people working to build power from within communities are the agents of change. Their service supports and empowers people who go on to support and empower others."
[Based on reporting by: Upworthy]
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