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MacKenzie Scott donates $55 million to Colorado groups as part of $4 billion giving spree

By Hannah Metzger hannah.metzger@gazette.com December 17, 2020 | updated 5 years ago

Philanthropist, writer and billionaire MacKenzie Scott donated $15 million to Goodwill of Colorado, the largest gift the 102-year-old nonprofit has ever received, the organization announced Thursday.

In the last four months, Scott has donated $4.158 billion to 384 organizations across all 50 states, Puerto Rico and Washington D.C., she said in a blog post.

In addition to Goodwill Colorado, Scott also donated $20 million to Denver’s Mile High United Way and another $20 million to the Rural Community Assistance Corporation, which has five locations throughout Colorado.

“We are honored and profoundly humbled to be singled out by MacKenzie Scott to receive this critical funding,” said Karla Grazier, president and CEO of Goodwill of Colorado.

Mile High United Way receives $20 million donation from Mackenzie Scott, ex-wife of Jeff Bezos

“Ms. Scott’s transformational gift underscores her support, shared vision and trust in our organization.”

Grazier said the donation will go towards job training, support and placement programs, including the organization’s “Excel Center” which provides adult job seekers with a high school diploma, childcare services and transportation.

Goodwill of Colorado has helped Coloradans overcome employment barriers for over a century. It has provided more than 10,000 people with job training and helped place nearly 5,000 into community employment in 2019 alone.

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Scott and her team selected organizations based on their impact, outcomes and capacity to utilize donations effectively to serve individuals and families in need, the blog post said.

The team originally reviewed 6,490 organization before narrowing them to the final 384.

“This pandemic has been a wrecking ball in the lives of Americans already struggling,” Scott said in her blog post.

Scott was married to Jeff Bezos, Amazon CEO and richest person in the world, from 1993 to 2019.

She received $36 billion worth of Bezos’ Amazon stock as part of the divorce settlement, making her the fourth richest woman and 22nd richest person in the world, according to Forbes.

“Economic losses and health outcomes alike have been worse for women, for people of color, and for people living in poverty,” Scott said. “Meanwhile, it has substantially increased the wealth of billionaires.”

In 2019, Scott pledged to give the majority of her wealth back to the communities that helped generate it.

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Hannah Metzger hannah.metzger@gazette.com

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