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MacKenzie Scott says she's given away almost $2 billion this year

illustration of Mackenzie Scott on an orange background with money floating behind her
MacKenzie Scott has given away more than $14 billion since 2019. Marianne Ayala/Insider

  • MacKenzie Scott has donated $2 billion to charities this year, per her most recent Medium post. 
  • Jeff Bezos' ex-wife pledged to give half her fortune away as part of the Giving Pledge.
  • With a net worth of $26 billion, she's become one of the world's most generous billionaires.
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MacKenzie Scott has given away almost $2 billion this year, according to her most recent Medium post, underlining her status as one of the world's most generous billionaires.

The 52-year-old philanthropist and former wife of Jeff Bezos has a net worth of $28 billion, according to Forbes. She has committed to donating half of her wealth as part of the Giving Pledge, which was set up by Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, and his then-wife Melinda French Gates.

When Scott signed up for the initiative in 2019, she wrote: "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."

Bill Gates's ex-wife Melinda French Gates previously said she had a "great respect" for Scott and her approach to philanthropy, which could inspire many others. 

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Scott chooses to give money to nonprofits and charities led by people with "lived experience." 

The funds donated by Scott this year are in addition to the $12.5 billion she's given away since signing up to the Giving Pledge.

Her biggest donation this year was $436 million to Habitat for Humanity International. She also gave $281 million to Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and $275 million to the Planned Parenthood Federation of America.

In September, she donated two mansions in Beverly Hills collectively worth about $55 million to the California Community Foundation to help the charity build more affordable homes in Los Angeles.

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On November 14, Scott wrote a blog post on Medium outlining her most recent donations. She preambles her post with a poem that, in her words, inspires her by "shutting me up every time I read it."

The billionaire goes on to write: "Over the last seven months, with the help of my team, I gave $1,990,800,000 to 343 organizations supporting the voices and opportunities of people from underserved communities."

"I recently learned a saying used in disability communities: 'Nothing about us without us.' For me, it's another beautiful and powerful reminder," she added.

"I needn't ask those I care about what to say to them, or what to do for them. I can share what I have with them to stand behind them as they speak and act for themselves," Scott concluded, before listing the organizations she's donated to. 

One of those charities was the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service.

Its CEO, Krish O'Mara Vignarajah, told Insider: "When I got the news, I just about fell out of my chair. I'm not normally one to be rendered speechless, but I was just overcome with emotion processing how transformational this gift would be."

"It's no overstatement to say that MacKenzie Scott has revolutionized philanthropy. She and her team have an eye for identifying difference-makers and truly giving us ownership in making the most out of her investment," the refugee charity's CEO added.

Bezos, the Amazon founder, said on Tuesday that he will donate $123 million to 40 charities fighting homelessness in the US. The money comes from his Bezos Day 1 Families Fund, a $2 billion commitment to help homeless Americans.

Jeff Bezos Marianne Ayala Bill Gates
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