MacKenzie Scott’s $19 billion in donations has been “transformational”

Billionaire and philanthropist MacKenzie Scott has donated over $19 billion to over 2,000 organizations in the past five years.

Transcript

00:00Billionaire Mackenzie Scott has fascinated the philanthropy world with her quiet, unrestricted donations,

00:06giving over $19 billion in the past five years.

00:09But when substantial amounts of money are involved, it can lead to skepticism,

00:13like concerns that organizations might not be able to effectively manage the money or that other patrons might donate less.

00:20However, a study from the Center for Effective Philanthropy found that gifting has been transformational for the recipient organizations.

00:27The report analyzed data from over 800 non-profits that received a gift from Scott,

00:32looking at the donation's effects on the organizations over a three-year period.

00:37In her quest to spend down the billions she received as part of her divorce settlement from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos,

00:43Scott has focused her philanthropy on social justice, human services, and education, with her median grant being $5 million.

00:50Despite the skepticism around large donations,

00:53the Center for Effective Philanthropy found the reported effects of Scott's gifts have remained overwhelmingly positive.