SEATTLE – MacKenzie Scott, philanthropist, author and ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, married a Seattle science professor who expressed gratitude “for the exceptional privilege it will be to be a partner in donating assets with the potential to do so much well when shared. “
Dan Jewett, who made the announcement in a letter to the nonprofit website The Giving Pledge on Saturday, said he never imagined he would be in a position to talk about donating significant wealth during his lifetime to make a difference in other people’s lives. .
Jewett has been a teacher for decades and, more recently, taught chemistry at Lakeside Private School, where Scott’s children studied.
“And now, in a stroke of happy coincidence, I am married to one of the most generous and loving people I know – and I join her in her commitment to pass on enormous financial wealth to serve others,” wrote Jewett.
After donating $ 1.68 billion to 116 nonprofits, universities, community development groups and legal organizations last July, Scott asked a team of consultants to help her “accelerate” her grants for 2020 with help. immediate impact for those financially affected by the pandemic.
Scott went on to donate a total of $ 5.7 billion in 2020, asking community leaders to help identify 512 organizations for seven- and eight-digit donations, including food banks, human service organizations and racial justice charities .
She was listed as number 2 among the 50 Americans who contributed most to the charity in the past year, according to the annual ranking of the Chronicle of Philanthropy.
Bezos topped the list by donating $ 10 billion to launch the Bezos Earth Fund.