Notable Georgia nonprofits that have gotten support from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott
MacKenzie Scott is many things: author, former student of Toni Morrison, ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, instrumental part of the retail giant’s early years and, now, prolific philanthropist.
Scott’s net worth is more than $33 billion as of September, according to Forbes. But she believes personal wealth is “the product of a collective effort and of social structures, which present opportunities to some people and obstacles to countless others,” she wrote in 2020.
It was this belief that propelled her in 2019, the same year she finalized her divorce from Bezos, to pledge to give away at least half her wealth in her lifetime or in her will.
Since then, Scott has given at least $17.3 billion in unrestricted and often unsolicited donations to nonprofits across the globe. Hundreds of millions have gone to more than 55 organizations in Georgia, according to Yield Giving, a database of her donations.
Her most recent known gift in the state, $10 million to Georgia-based community lender Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs, was the nonprofit’s largest donation in its history.
Here are some of the biggest gifts she has made in Georgia:
- In 2022, Scott donated $436 million to Habitat for Humanity International, which is headquartered in Atlanta, though all but $25 million of the gift went to its 84 affiliates. Five chapters in Georgia received funding, including $13.5 million to Atlanta Habitat for Humanity and a total of $5.5 million to the other affiliates.
- Also in 2022, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, which is headquartered in Atlanta, announced it had received $281 million from Scott. Three chapters of the Boys & Girls Club — north central Georgia, southwest Georgia and Lanier — received undisclosed amounts, while the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Augusta announced it had received $3.5 million from the philanthropist.
- In 2022, the National Urban League announced 25 of its affiliates, including the Urban League of Greater Atlanta, received contributions from Scott totaling more than $100 million, though it did not disclose the specific amounts each chapter received.
- Scott has given at least $40 million to four Goodwill affiliates across Georgia, records from Yield Giving show.
- Morehouse and Spelman colleges each received $20 million in the summer of 2020 during Scott’s first big tranche of giving. Clark Atlanta University received $15 million from her in December 2020.
- Scott gave $18 million to the YMCA of Metropolitan Atlanta in 2020, according to Yield Giving.
- The Southern Partners Fund, a foundation based in Atlanta that supports rural Southeastern organizations, has received $15 million from Scott over two gifts in 2020 and 2023, according to Yield Giving.
- Achieve Atlanta, an organization that offers scholarships and college advising to students in Atlanta Public Schools, received $8 million from the philanthropist in 2022.
- Earlier this year, two Atlanta area nonprofits that serve Hispanic and refugee residents — Ser Familia and Ethne Health — received $2 million each from Scott after answering an open call for proposals.
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About the Author
Mirtha Donastorg is a reporter on The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s business team focusing on Black wealth, entrepreneurship, and minority-owned businesses as well as innovation at Atlanta’s HBCUs.
