MacKenzie Scott, who is very rich, owns part of Amazon, and has written a book, is giving over $640 million to more than 360 non-profit groups. $30 million of that is going to organizations that support LGBTQ+ people.
At least 14 organizations that support LGBTQ+ people were chosen to get money from Scott. Some of them are Gender Justice, OutFront Minnesota, EDGE New Jersey, Carolina CARE Partnership, NC Counts Coalition, The Wall Las Memorias, Hugh Lane Wellness Foundation, Oasis Legal Services, GLAD, Pacific Center for Human Growth, and Openhouse. These groups are in addition to various centers in communities all over the country.
This is the first time Scott is giving money this year, and there will be more in the future.
Scott got a lot of money after she divorced the person who started Amazon in 2019, and she now owns 4% of the company. Since then, she has given over $16 billion to non-profit groups in the United States.
“Out of more than 6,000 groups that wanted money, 361 were chosen by other groups and a panel to get money for doing great work,” Scott said in a statement on Tuesday. She thinks these groups are important for making their communities better and are very important for making big changes.”
Scott hasn't shared a lot about how she picks which groups to give money to, or who helps her decide. Some people have criticized her for not being open about this process. “It is disrespectful to the people who are supposed to have a say in things because of the power she has,” said Rob Reich, who studies politics at Stanford University. told The Economist in 2021.
Scott has a history of giving money to LGBTQ+ groups, and has given over $163 million to other groups in the past, according to the Movement Advancement Project. according to the Movement Advancement Project.
“One of the best things about prize philanthropy is that it brings attention to people and organizations that wouldn’t usually get support from powerful people and money,” said Renee Karibi-Whyte, who is an important person at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, according to the Associated Press.
Lasara Firefox Allen, who is the director of a group that supports LGBTQ+ people in San Francisco, said about Scott’s money, “It will make a big difference to us and the services we offer to trans and queer people, from young to old people, in Alameda County and other places. We are very happy that our group was thought of as important among so many other great groups.”
Denise Spivak, who leads a group that helps LGBTQ+ community centers, said, “We are happy that MacKenzie Scott has seen how important LGBTQ+ centers are and has included some of them in the money she is giving out now, especially when there are a lot of laws being made that are not good for LGBTQ+ people.”
