Mackenzie Scott donates $10M to area nonprofits
Philanthropist Mackenzie Scott donated another $2 billion of her own wealth on Dec. 18, $10 million of which found its way to nonprofits based on the Central Coast.
Scott, who was formerly married to billionaire Amazon Founder Jeff Bezos, has now donated roughly $19.2 billion since 2019. She is still worth over $31 million according to Forbes.
Of the $2 billion donated in 2024, 199 organizations got a cut of that money, including five here on the Central Coast.
Each of the five organizations will be awarded $2 million each and include: the Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy, the Mixteco IndÃgena Community Organizing Project, the Future Leaders of America, Mental Health Advocacy Services and the Westminster Free Clinic.
In a blog post announcing the donations, Scott said that roughly 75% of the organizations she donated to “support the economic security and opportunity of people who are struggling by improving access to affordable housing, jobs that provide stability for themselves and their families, child development and post-secondary education, healthcare, and financial counseling, business coaching, and low-interest rate loans focused on increasing economic potential and building wealth.”
“The others support well-being through other means, such as work on human rights and natural resources conservation,” she added.
A list of her full donations can be found at yieldgiving.com/gifts/.
Since 2019, Scott has donated roughly $50 million to Central Coast nonprofits or universities, with her largest gifts going to CSU Channel Islands, $15 million, and Santa Barbara City College, $20 million, back in 2021.
