MacKenzie Scott facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
MacKenzie Scott
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Scott in 2016
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MacKenzie Scott Tuttle
April 7, 1970 San Francisco, California, U.S.
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| Other names | MacKenzie Bezos |
| Education | Princeton University (BA) |
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Notable work
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The Testing of Luther Albright |
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| Children | 4 |
| Awards | American Book Award (2006) |
MacKenzie Scott (born MacKenzie Scott Tuttle, on April 7, 1970) is an American novelist and a generous giver to charities. She helped start Amazon and was married to its founder, Jeff Bezos. As of late 2024, she is one of the richest women in the United States and in the world.
MacKenzie Scott is known for her writing. She won an American Book Award in 2006 for her first novel, The Testing of Luther Albright. She also started Bystander Revolution, an organization that works to stop bullying. Scott has promised to give away at least half of her money to help others. She has already donated billions of dollars to many different charities.
Contents
Early Life and Education
MacKenzie Scott Tuttle was born on April 7, 1970, in San Francisco, California. Her mother was a homemaker, and her father was a financial planner. She has two brothers.
MacKenzie loved writing from a young age. She remembers writing a 142-page book called The Book Worm when she was just six years old. Sadly, this book was lost in a flood.
In 1988, she finished high school at the Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, Connecticut. She then went to Princeton University, where she earned a bachelor's degree in English in 1992. At Princeton, she studied creative writing with the famous author Toni Morrison. Morrison said that MacKenzie was "one of the best students" she ever taught.
Career Highlights
After college, MacKenzie Scott worked as a research assistant for Toni Morrison. She also worked in New York City at a company called D. E. Shaw. This is where she met Jeff Bezos.
Starting Amazon
MacKenzie Scott and Jeff Bezos got married in 1993. The next year, they moved to Seattle. Jeff Bezos then started Amazon with MacKenzie's help. She was a very important part of Amazon in its early days. She helped with the company's name, its business plan, and even packed early orders. She also helped arrange Amazon's first shipping deal.
After 1996, MacKenzie focused more on her writing and raising her family. Their oldest son was born in 2000.
Writing Books
In 2005, MacKenzie Scott published her first novel, The Testing of Luther Albright. She won an American Book Award for it in 2006. She shared that it took her ten years to write the book because she was also helping to build Amazon and raise her children.
Her former professor, Toni Morrison, praised the book, calling it "a rarity: a sophisticated novel that breaks and swells the heart." MacKenzie's second novel, Traps, came out in 2013.
Personal Life
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MacKenzie Scott met Jeff Bezos in 1992 and they married in 1993. They moved to Seattle, Washington, in 1994. They have four children: three sons and one daughter.
In 2019, MacKenzie and Jeff Bezos divorced. MacKenzie received a large amount of Amazon stock. This made her one of the wealthiest women in the world. After her divorce, she changed her last name to Scott, using her middle name from birth.
In 2021, MacKenzie Scott married Dan Jewett, a science teacher. Their marriage was announced when Jewett joined the Giving Pledge. However, they divorced in 2023.
Giving to Charity
In May 2019, MacKenzie Scott signed the Giving Pledge. This is a promise by wealthy people to give away most of their money to charity during their lifetime or in their will. This pledge is not a legal contract, but a public commitment.
MacKenzie Scott has given away billions of dollars very quickly and quietly. She often gives money to organizations that focus on important issues like fairness for all people, climate change, and helping communities in need.
For example, in 2020, she donated $1.7 billion to 116 non-profit groups. These groups worked on things like racial equality, LGBTQ+ equality, and climate change. She also gave over $800 million to colleges that serve minority students. Later that year, she gave another $4.15 billion to 384 organizations. These gifts helped people affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and worked to fix long-standing unfairness.
In 2021, she announced another $2.7 billion in donations to 286 organizations. She has given to groups in many countries, including Kenya, India, and Brazil. By April 2022, her total donations since 2019 had gone over $12 billion.
In September 2022, she donated two of her homes in Beverly Hills, worth $55 million, to a foundation. This foundation plans to sell the homes and use the money to fund affordable housing and help immigrants. In October 2022, she gave $84.5 million to the Girl Scouts of the USA, which was the largest individual donation in their history.
In March 2023, Scott announced a new way of giving. She invited smaller non-profit groups to apply for grants. She planned to give $1 million to 250 groups. However, she ended up giving even more, donating $640 million to 361 small non-profits. Many groups received $2 million each.
MacKenzie Scott's way of giving is special because she often gives money without many rules. This means the charities can use the money where they need it most. She believes that the people working directly on problems know best how to use the funds. Many charities have said that her gifts have helped them raise even more money from other donors.
In December 2022, she launched a website called Yield Giving. On this site, she shares details about her donations. The name "Yield" means that she believes in adding value by giving up control and trusting the organizations she supports.
Images for kids
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In Spanish: MacKenzie Scott para niños
