MacKenzie Scott is continuing to solidify her legacy as one of world’s most prodigious philanthropists, donating $3.9 billion to 465 different charities and nonprofits in just the last nine months. In addition to huge donations to Habitat for Humanity and Ukraine aid organizations, Scott also donated $275 million to Planned Parenthood’s main office and regional affiliates at a time when reproductive rights are especially under attack. Planned Parenthood has called it the single largest donation made by an individual in the history of the organization.
A statement from Planned Parenthood Federation of America President and CEO Alexis McGill Johnson reads:
We are incredibly grateful for Ms. Scott’s extraordinary philanthropic investment in Planned Parenthood, as a critical part of the public health infrastructure. There is no question that we are living through a crisis for sexual and reproductive health and rights in this country. As we face the most serious attacks on access to reproductive health care that we’ve seen in a generation, we know this moment requires us to be innovative and to double down on our efforts to ensure everyone has equitable access to health care, including abortion.
Following her divorce from Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Scott signed the Giving Pledge, the campaign organized by Warren Buffett and Bill Gates asking the world’s wealthiest people to commit to giving away the majority of their fortunes in their lifetime. Bezos, notably, has not signed the Giving Pledge, choosing instead to underpay and mistreat Amazon employees while also engaging in union-busting activities and evading paying the company’s fair share of corporate taxes however possible.
In a new Medium essay, Scott listed the organizations included in the latest round of donations. “Our team’s focus over these last nine months has included some new areas, but as always our aim has been to support the needs of underrepresented people from groups of all kinds. The cause of equity has no sides,” she wrote.
Kudos to Scott for continuously providing evidence for why she should escape guillotine consideration. Many others—starting with her ex-husband, who would have to actively work extremely hard to give away a majority of his massive wealth—could certainly be taking notes.
(image: Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)
