Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott is gifting $3.8 million to the Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas. The donation is part of the $84.5 million the billionaire philanthropist plans to hand the Girls Scouts of the USA and 29 councils across the country to help advance their mission, according to The Dallas Morning News.
With a net worth of $33.4 billion, Scott is the 30th richest person in the world, according to Forbes’ real-time billionaires ranking. She is known for her education-based philanthropy. An author, she is also the ex-wife of Amazon founder and owner Jeff Bezos, who sits third on the Forbes rich list.
Scott was married to Bezos for 25 years. She received half of his assets as part of their 2019 divorce settlement. She pledged to donate her wealth after her divorce.
“It will take time and effort and care. But I won’t wait. And I will keep at it until the safe is empty.” Scott said in her pledge letter.
This year, Scott has broken records by being the largest single donor in the Dallas area.
Her recent donations this year include a gift of $9 million to Habitat for Humanity in March and a $3.3 million donation to Communities in Schools of North Texas in February. In August, she donated $1.2 million to a local education nonprofit as part of a $38.8 million gift to Junior Achievement USA and 26 other local Junior Achievement operations.
The Girls Scouts of Diamonds of Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas, which includes the city of Texarkana, is also in line for a donation. Houston-based Girl Scouts of San Jacinto is another Texas-based council receiving funds from Scott. Girl scouts there are set to receive $14.5 million.
In 2019, according to its most recent tax filing, Girls Scouts of Northeast Texas collected $14.5 million in revenue and spent $13.9 million.
The CEO of Girls Scouts of Northeast Texas, Jennifer Bartkowski, said the donation Scott made to the organization will help expand their outreach.
“This gift fuels that work, preparing us to access the resources, human capital, and the strategy that will create a place of belonging and a leadership experience for every girl in our community,” Bartkowski said.
She added that Scott’s donation to the organization is undoubtedly transformational and that they are incredibly grateful for this opportunity to change the lives of more girls in North Texas.
“An investment in girls is an investment in the future of our community,” Bartkowski said.
Donna Epps, the board chair for Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas, added that the gift will enable the Girl Scouts to reach girls in communities where they may not have access and where volunteers have not historically seen themselves represented in the organization.
Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas has more than 8,000 volunteers across a 32-county region.
To reevaluate and modify the community and diversity efforts, the organization recently partnered with Deloitte’s Monitor Institute.
The Girls Scouts of the USA published their “anti-racism pledge” on June 17, 2020. Girls Scouts stand against racism and pledge to work for a just society for all, and are committed to becoming an anti-racist organization.
