Mackenzie Scott, one of the world’s richest and most influential women in philanthropy, has donated $60 million to the Center for Disaster Philanthropy, according to an announcement from the nonprofit on Tuesday.
The donation is among the largest single gifts made by Scott, the ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, to a nonprofit, and the largest gift the Center for Disaster Philanthropy has ever received.
Patricia McIlreavey, CDP’s president and CEO, called the gift a “transformational investment” that will help the nonprofit “strengthen communities’ resilience and equitable recovery from disasters.”
The gift comes at a time of climate disasters More frequent and expensive And as president Donald Trump creates uncertainty About how much federal support communities will receive to recover from future emergencies.
Founded in 2010, CDP provides advice and resources to donors seeking to maximize their impact on communities recovering from climate disasters and other crises. Organization It emphasizes recovery in the medium and long termtwo often neglected phases in disaster response.
CDP also conducts its own disaster bids, including through… Atlantic Hurricane Season Recovery Fund Which will be supported soon Hurricane Melissa Recovery in the Caribbean, according to the group.
The $60 million grant will go toward “improving disaster preparedness, addressing the root causes of risk vulnerabilities, and providing critical resources for the long-term recovery of disaster-affected communities,” according to a CDP statement.
Scott (55 years old) accumulated most of her wealth through Amazon shares, which she acquired after her divorce from the company’s founder and CEO, Jeff Bezos. Forbes estimates her current wealth at $34 billion.
Shortly after her divorce, Scott signed the Giving Pledge, promising to give away at least half of her wealth for the rest of her life. I donated More than $19 billion Since 2019.
The author of the two novels was famous for her calm and trustworthy giving. Scott rarely comments on her donations except in sporadic articles posted on her website, Yield Giving.
Nonprofits are often surprised to learn they are receiving one of their grants, which come with no restrictions on how the groups can use the funds.
McElreavy told The Associated Press that she learned about the gift in September through a phone call. “There was disbelief and joy mixed together,” she said.
The lack of restrictions allows a CDP to put some money toward general operations such as staffing, an aspect of nonprofit work that is often difficult to raise money for.
Nonprofits trying to raise money to cover administrative costs can sometimes feel like they’re running a pizza shop, McElreavey said. “People come in and say, ‘I want pizza, but I don’t want to pay for the employees who make it, or the trucks that bring the cheese.’
This support comes as the frequency and cost of climate disasters continue to increase, which exhausts the capabilities of both governments and donors to respond.
The United States witnessed at least 14 disasters this year in which damage exceeded $1 billion, according to Climate Central, totaling $101.4 billion. This number does not include the deadly Texas floods in July, which are still being evaluated.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly floated the idea of eliminating the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which manages the federal disaster response. I have Requests to declare major disasters were rejected to states even when FEMA assessments demonstrated significant damage. His administration did as well Cutting billions in disaster resilience funding.
The uncertainty presents a challenge for survivors, donors and philanthropists who cannot predict where and when their support will be needed most, McIlreavy said.
“When people are facing disasters across this country, and they don’t know what might come, how they can get help and from whom, that steals some of the hope that is essential to any recovery,” she said.
Several other groups announced this month that they had received grants from Scott, including the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, which received $40 million, and the Freedom Fund, which received $60 million. Scott donated $70 million to the United Nations Children’s Fundthe nation’s largest private provider of scholarships to minority students, last month.
Scott hinted at a new round of donations in October 15 article on her website while downplaying her giving and touting the power of small acts of kindness and generosity.
“What if sponsorship was a way for all of us to make a difference in leading and shaping our countries?” Scott wrote. “There are many ways to influence how we move through the world, and where we land.”
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