Food banks, immigrant aid associations, struggling universities have discovered a surprise benefactor in 2020: MacKenzie Scott, the ex-wife of Amazon boss Jeff Bezos.

The one that donated to the staggering $ 6 billion last year, has also placed no restrictions or demands on its contributions, contrary to the usual practices of donors to charitable causes in the United States. 

MacKenzie Scott's approach has thus upset the philanthropic world, not only by the massive amount of its payments, but also because by letting organizations judge the proper use of its donations, it frees their actions from red tape.

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Laura MacDonald, president of the Giving USA Foundation, a nonprofit that conducts research on philanthropic giving, says the ex-wife of the second richest man on the planet is a move of "philanthropy based on trust".

"This can encourage other donors […] to take more risks", adds this specialist.

Donations during a global pandemic

In December, MacKenzie Scott made donations to 384 organizations ranging from a University of Technology Institute on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in Montana to a food bank in Arkansas to the Immigrant Aid Association, Immigrant Families Fund.

"This pandemic has demolished the lives of Americans who were already struggling," MacKenzie Scott wrote. 

"The economic losses and the medical toll has been more severe for women, for people of color and for those living in poverty. Meanwhile, it has dramatically increased the wealth of billionaires," she added.

For charity activists, MacKenzie Scott's initiatives are likely to inspire other billionaires, including her ex-husband, to take the seed.

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"I hope the amount of money she is putting on the table and her intention to continue to do so is going to kick the behinds of everyone who is sitting on enormous wealth as we face to incredible challenges and needs, ”says Phil Buchanan, president of the Center for Effective Philanthropy, which provides information to charitable foundations.

The former Ms. Bezos, who has held since her divorce a stake in the e-commerce giant Amazon valued at $ 58 billion, has pledged to cede a large part of her heritage to the fight against social inequalities. 

It announced subsidies of about $ 1.7 billion in July and then $ 4.2 billion in December.

A well-established organization 

MacKenzie Scott, one of the richest women in the world, has enlisted a team of advisers to help her identify organizations that are supporting those suffering from the economic impact of the pandemic and particularly in the fight against hunger, the poverty and racial inequalities.

Her approach contrasts with that of her ex-husband Jeff Bezos.

While the Amazon founder made a massive $ 10 billion donation to the fight against climate change, the biggest charitable contribution of 2020, his stakes have been slower and proportionately leaner, considering that his fortune is three times greater than that of his ex-wife.

The former couple could give a major boost to philanthropy in the United States, which was worth some $ 450 billion in 2019.

With AFP

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