Jeff Bezos’ ex-wife MacKenzie Scott gives away $5.6 billion in four months

MacKenzie Scott, ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, has vowed to give away her vast fortune and she’s just taken another huge step.

MacKenzie Scott is now the world’s wealthiest woman following her divorce from Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos.

After the settlement from the split, which saw Scott pocket $US38 billion ($A50 billion), she committed to giving away a massive portion of her $US60 billion ($A79 billion) fortune when she signed the Giving Pledge in May 2019.

A year after signing the pledge, Scott had given almost $US1.7 billion to 116 charitable organisations by July 2020.

Now she’s on a roll and won’t stop.

Scott’s recent philanthropic endeavour has seen her give away $US4.2 billion ($A5.6 billion) in the past four months.

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The pair split in 2019 which left her with a $US38 billion ($A50 billion) settlement. Picture: Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images

The money has gone to 384 charitable organisations in America, including food banks, emergency relief funds and support services “for those most vulnerable” after considering thousands of organisations.

In a Medium blog post she titled ‘384 Ways to Help’, Scott wrote she asked her team to help her give away her fortune to people most in need.

“This pandemic has been a wrecking ball in the lives of Americans already struggling. Economic losses and health outcomes alike have been worse for women, for people of colour, and for people living in poverty. Meanwhile, it has substantially increased the wealth of billionaires,” she wrote.

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Scott committed to giving away a large portion of her wealth following the divorce in 2019. Picture: Getty

Scott said she asked a team of advisers to “help me accelerate my 2020 giving through immediate support to people suffering the economic effects of the crisis”.

“They took a data-driven approach to identifying organisations with strong leadership teams and results, with special attention to those operating in communities facing high projected food insecurity, high measures of racial inequity, high local poverty rates, and low access to philanthropic capital,” she said.

“The result over the last four months has been $4,158,500,000 in gifts to 384 organisations across all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and Washington D.C.”

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Scott called on a team of advisers to help he figure out who to give her wealth to. Picture: Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Amazon Studios

Scott asked others in a position to help to also give to the organisations.

“If you’re craving a way to use your time, voice, or money to help others at the end of this difficult year, I highly recommend a gift to one of the thousands of organisations doing remarkable work all across the country.

“Every one of them could benefit from more resources to share with the communities they’re serving. And the hope you feed with your gift is likely to feed your own.”

When she signed the pledge in 2019, Scott said: “I have a disproportionate amount of money to share. My approach to philanthropy will continue to be thoughtful. It will take time and effort and care. But I won’t wait. And I will keep at it until the safe is empty.”

The 50-year-old had paired up with Bill Gates’ wife Melinda to launch the Equality Can’t Wait Challenge, in which $US40 million ($53 million) was donated to not-for-profits.

Jeff Bezos, the founder and CEO of Amazon, is the world’s wealthiest man. Picture: Jerod Harris/Getty Images

In a Medium blog post in July this year, Scott explained she had watched the events of 2020 “with a mixture of heartbreak and horror” and reflected on the “social structures which present opportunities to some people, and obstacles to countless others”.

“People troubled by recent events can make new connections between privileges they’ve enjoyed and benefits they’ve taken for granted,” she said.

“From there, many will choose to share some of what they have with people whose equal participation is essential to the construction of a better world.”

Jeff Bezos remains the world’s wealthiest person with a fortune of $US185 billion ($A245 billion), according to the Bloomberg index. Bezos added $US70 billion ($A92.6 billion) to his net worth in 2020.