Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott has donated almost $1.7 billion to various civil rights non-profits since divorcing Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos.
Scott wrote about her reasons for contributing and what organizations she has given money to in a Medium post published Tuesday, July 28. After their divorce last year, Scott was left with $60 billion, which makes her the fourth-richest woman in the world.
“Like many, I watched the first half of 2020 with a mixture of heartbreak and horror. Life will never stop finding fresh ways to expose inequities in our systems; or waking us up to the fact that a civilization this imbalanced is not only unjust, but also unstable,” she wrote.
“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 added.
Scott also included a breakdown of where her contributions have gone, and she’s donated the largest amount ($586,700,000 to be exact) to racial equity organizations. She also prioritized economic mobility and gender equity organizations.
“[The organizations] would benefit from more allies looking to share wealth of all types and sizes, including money, volunteer time, supplies, advocacy, publicity, networks and relationships, collaboration, encouragement, and trust,” Scott added.
She said that this is only the beginning and that her contributions will be “ongoing and will last for years.”
The donations were made as part of The Giving Pledge, a campaign launched a decade ago by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and Warren Buffett. According to Business Insider, Bezos is the only one of the five wealthiest people in the U.S. who has not signed the pledge. Bezos is worth a little more than $130 billion.
However, in February, Bezos did commit to spending $10 billion to fight climate change through the Bezos Earth Fund The fund will “explore new ways of fighting the devastating impact of climate change.”
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