MacKenzie Scott, ex-wife of Amazon founder and Executive Chairman Jeff Bezos, gave $436 million to Habitat for Humanity International and 84 U.S. affiliates in the largest publicly disclosed gift since pledging to donate most of her wealth in 2019.
Habitat for Humanity Greater San Francisco CEO Maureen Sedonaen revealed the news in a statement Tuesday, writing, “Today, I am thrilled to formally announce that our affordable homebuilding mission has been significantly advanced, thanks to an incredible, $6.75 million gift from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. This is part of a generous $436 million donation announced today that will expand access to affordable homeownership across the U.S.”
Scott’s donation will be spread across the U.S. affiliates, with $25 million going to Habitat for Humanity International.
“This incredibly generous gift will allow us to dramatically increase capacity and implement programs that will have a multi-generational impact on communities around the U.S. and our global mission for many years to come,” said Jonathan Reckford, CEO of Habitat for Humanity International.
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“With this donation,” he added, “Habitat is well-positioned to meaningfully advocate for the systemic and societal changes needed to improve equitable access to affordable housing.”
The organization said it plans to use the funds to “fundamentally increase the supply of affordable housing and to prioritize advocacy and programmatic efforts that support the millions of individuals increasingly shut out of the housing market.”
The large donation made up roughly 8% of the international organization’s gifts for the 2020 fiscal year.
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Scott is a signatory of The Giving Pledge, a campaign encouraging some of the wealthiest individuals across the globe to donate most of their wealth either before or after their death.
