One of the World’s Richest Women Donates $10 Million to United Way of RI
Wednesday, December 16, 2020
MacKenzie Scott, formerly the wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, is worth $59.6 billion according to HowMuch.com. $10 million of her fortune is coming to Rhode Island.
United Way of Rhode Island announced on Tuesday that it received a gift in the amount of $10 million from Scott.
Forbes values Scott's wealth slightly lower -- they rank her fourth in the world at $36 billion, writing:
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTBezos makes her debut on the list after finalizing her divorce with Amazon founder Jeff Bezos in July 2019; the award-winning novelist received a quarter of her ex-husband’s shares in the e-commerce giant. MacKenzie signed the Giving Pledge, promising to give away at least half of her fortune, in May 2019.
Giving Pledge
The funds are among nationwide gifts announced today by Scott as part of her commitment to the Giving Pledge to give the majority of her fortune to charity or philanthropic causes.
The gift from one of the world’s wealthiest women was made in support of United Way’s vision for a Rhode Island where "every individual in each community has equal opportunity for justice and prosperity."
This is not the first major gift from the Bezos, who announced their divorce in January of 2019. In November of 2018, GoLocalProv reported that Bezos and his wife donated $5 million to Crossroads Rhode Island to help fight homelessness
“Beyond being an incredible and generous act of philanthropy, this gift further validates the critical importance of the work we have in front of us to reverse the root causes of the racial inequities that hold back our state,” said Cortney Nicolato, president and CEO of United Way. “These funds will provide long-term support for the ambitious goals we have set for the next five years and that are part of a larger initiative we’ll be announcing in January.”
“We are extremely grateful to Ms. Scott for believing and trusting in our work, and for making a tremendous investment in the future of our state,” added Nicolato.
For 95 years, United Way of Rhode Island has united its community and resources to address the state’s most pressing needs and to move individuals and families from crisis to stability. The organization is committed to building racial equity and opportunities for all Rhode Islanders and will be outlining its goals and community investments in early 2021.
Related Articles
- Trump Targets Amazon CEO & Wash Post Owner Jeff Bezos Over Antitrust Claims
- VIDEO: More Than 400 Washington Post Reporters Ask Bezos to Increase Wages
- BREAKING: Bezos’ Foundation Donates $5 Million to Crossroads Rhode Island
- Amazon Founder, Richest Man in the World, Bezos to Divorce Wife After 25 Years
- Jeff Bezos Sells $1.8 Billion of Amazon Stock in 3 Days