MacKenzie Scott donates $436 million to Habitat for Humanity after Bezos divorce

MacKenzie Scott has given away as much as $4.3 billion in 375 grants since her divorce from Bezos

Scott, the former wife of Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos, has a fortune of $54.4 billion (2018 Invision)

MacKenzie Scott donated $436 million to Habitat for Humanity, the largest publicly disclosed gift since she pledged in 2019 to give away the majority of her wealth.

The donation was disclosed Tuesday in a statement from the Greater San Francisco chapter of the home-building non-profit, which is among 84 Habitat affiliates that will share the contribution.

“This incredible act of generosity and investment in our work will make an impact throughout our region for decades to come,” said Maureen Sedonaen, head of Habitat for Humanity Greater San Francisco.

Scott, the former wife of Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos, has a fortune of $54.4 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. She initially disclosed in great detail the recipients of her record giving, but decided late last year that she would not specify the amounts of money that she is providing.

Scott, 51, is single-handedly reshaping non-profits, donating to organizations tackling social welfare, education, arts, health and more. She has given away as much as $4.3 billion in 375 grants since her divorce from Bezos. More than $1.6 billion has gone to education non-profits, including historically Black universities. She’s also contributed to social assistance organizations like Goodwill and YMCA.

For almost 90% of organizations that responded to a Bloomberg survey last year, Scott’s gift was the largest they’ve ever received, with donations ranging from $750,000 to $60 million.

Her gift will help address historic inequities in homeownership rates in the area around San Francisco, Sedonaen said in the statement. Affordable housing has been a critical issue in Northern California, where wealthy Silicon Valley workers have contributed to skyrocketing home values, pushing out working-class residents, particularly those of colour. The donation will help build homes for more than 250 working families in San Francisco, San Mateo and Marin, according to the statement.

“Investing in affordable homeownership is a tangible and effective response to California’s housing crisis,” Sedonaen said. “I see every day the impact this has on families enduring overcrowded living conditions or undertaking horrifically long commutes.” Paulina Cachero for Bloomberg