OdishaLive Bureau

MacKenzie Scott, former wife of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, on Tuesday donated around USD 1.7 billion for various social causes. The donations will be distributed among groups involved in philanthropic causes such as healthcare, LGBT rights and racial justice.

Scott’s net worth is USD 60.4 billion, making her the 13th wealthiest person on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. In an official statement, she included a break-up of where the money, which has been allocated, with over USD 586 million focussed on racial equality and USD 125 million dedicated to fighting climate change.

As a part of divorce alimony, Scott received 25% of Bezo’s Amazon stocks, making her one of the wealthiest women in the world. In May last year, Scott signed the Giving Pledge, a campaign to encourage extremely wealthy people to contribute a majority of their wealth to philanthropic causes. Over 200 of the wealthiest people across the globe have signed the pledge.