MacKenzie Scott is shaking up philanthropy's traditions. Is that a good thing?
Donations often come with rigorous applications and reporting requirements. Billionaire MacKenzie Scott, who divorced Jeff Bezos in 2019 and vowed to give away most of her fortune, does it her way.
With the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a series of devastating climate change-fueled events and high food and energy costs, 2022 was a year of significant turmoil. But at least in the philanthropy sector, there may be reason for optimism.
On December 14, 2022 billionaire philanthropist and novelist MacKenzie Scott announced that her donations since 2019 have totaled more than $14 billion and helped fund around 1,600 nonprofits. But as much as the scale, it is the style of giving that is causing a stir; it's targeted at a wide spectrum of causes, without a formal application process and--it appears--no strings attached.
