MacKenzie Scott is sharing the wealth. Well, her wealth, at least.
The philanthropist and author (and yes, ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos) recently announced that she donated roughly $2.7 billion to a wide variety of community-focused charities and causes.
In her announcement, she described the move as an attempt “to give away a fortune that was enabled by systems in need of change.” Scott added, “In this effort, we are governed by a humbling belief that it would be better if disproportionate wealth were not concentrated in a small number of hands, and that the solutions are best designed and implemented by others.”
Some of the 286 organizations who benefited from this latest round of giving include the 317 Main Community Music Center, which teaches music to students of all ages in Maine; the First Peoples Fund, which supports artists and families in Native communities; Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, a public community college; and the Women’s Funding Network, which unites funders and institutions around the world toward empowering girls and women.
This isn’t Scott’s first go at redistribution — last December, she doled out just over $4.2 billion to food banks, legal defense funds and other nonprofits and outfits working locally to effect change.
“Though we still have a lot to learn about how to act on these beliefs [about not hoarding wealth] without contradicting and subverting them, we can begin by acknowledging that people working to build power from within communities are the agents of change,” Scott said.. “Their service supports and empowers people who go on to support and empower others.”