Jeff Bezos’ Ex-Wife MacKenzie Scott Gives Away $640 Million to Nonprofit Organizations

Billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott announced Tuesday that she donated $640 million to 361 nonprofits. Ms. Scott, who was formerly married to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, more than doubled the amount she initially pledged to give away through an open call for applications. She established Yield Giving as a vehicle for her philanthropic efforts, and the website tracks her contributions. Yield Giving’s first round of donations, ranging from $1 million to $2 million, were awarded to various nonprofits across the nation. The recipients were selected from a “pool of over 6,000 applicants,” Ms. Scott wrote in a brief message on the website. In 2019, she vowed to give away at least half of her wealth to charity. Since then, she and her team have researched and selected organizations without an application process and provided them with large, unrestricted gifts....