MacKenzie Scott makes the largest single donation in Planned Parenthood history

vt-author-image

By Carina Murphy

Article saved!Article saved!

MacKenzie Scott - the ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos - has donated a staggering $275 million to Planned Parenthood and its affiliates.

The huge donation - which was announced by Planned Parenthood on Wednesday - is the largest gift ever made by a single donor in the organization's history.

It comes as part of a massive round of donations from Scott, who announced in a blog post on Wednesday that she has given $3,863,125,000 to 465 different non-profits since June last year.

"Our team’s focus over these last nine months has included some new areas, but as always our aim has been to support the needs of underrepresented people from groups of all kinds," Scott wrote in her blog post, adding: "The cause of equity has no sides."

When she divorced Bezos in 2019, Scott received a 4% stake in Amazon. Per Forbes, her current net worth is somewhere in the region of $48.9 billion.

However, the philanthropist has never been interested in hoarding her massive wealth. Not long after her divorce settlement was finalized she signed the Giving Pledge, which committed her to give away the vast majority of her money during her lifetime or in her will. To date, she has donated around $12.5 billion to 1,257 different organizations.

wp-image-1263149160 size-full
Credit: Sipa US / Alamy

In her blog post, Scott went on to speak about the importance of championing non-profits tackling female issues. "Only a tiny fraction of global humanitarian assistance today is given directly to local and national organizations, and to organizations focused on the disproportionate challenges experienced by women and girls," she wrote.

President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Alexis McGill Johnson took to Twitter to thank Scott for her generous donation, saying that it comes at a critical time for the non-profit.

"We are incredibly grateful for Ms. Scott's extraordinary philanthropic investment," she wrote, adding: "As we face the most serious attacks on access to abortion that we've seen in a generation, PPFA is proud to play a vital role in ensuring access to essential health care."

Sexual and reproductive health rights are under fire across the US, with Buzzfeed News reporting that over 500 abortion restrictions have been introduced in 41 states this year alone.

Featured Image Credit: PA Images / Alamy