Jeff Bezos' ex-wife MacKenzie Scott gives $5.4b to charity

MacKenzie Scott, ex-wife of Amazon.com Inc billionaire founder Jeff Bezos, has donated over $4.1 billion (S$5.4 billion) in the last four months to food banks and emergency relief funds.

In a Medium blogpost on Tuesday, Scott said the Covid-19 pandemic has been a wrecking ball in the lives of Americans already struggling and she wanted to provide immediate support to those suffering the economic effects of the crisis.

“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 DC Some are filling basic needs: food banks, emergency relief funds, and support services for those most vulnerable”, Scott said.

The post added that some donations will also be directed toward “long-term systemic inequities” like debt relief, employment training and legal defense funds.

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In July, Scott said she had donated $1.7 billion in the past year to causes including racial equality, LGBTQ rights, public health and climate change.

Last year, Scott signed the Giving Pledge in a commitment to donate the majority of her fortune after her split from Bezos - the world’s richest man - left her with a 4 per cent stake in Amazon.