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MacKenzie Scott Donates Millions to Georgia Early Education

The former wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, MacKenzie Scott, has donated $3 million to the Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students. The money is slated to be used…

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MacKenzie Scott Donation to Georgia Education Organization

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Communities in Schools

MacKenzie Scott Donates Millions to Georgia Schools

The former wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, MacKenzie Scott, has donated $3 million to the Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students.

The money is slated to be used to promote innovative and evidence-based practices and as well continue ongoing policies.

"This one-time infusion of significant resources will allow us to amplify our advocacy for policies and programs that make young children a statewide priority," said Mindy Binderman, executive director of GEEARS.

It's not the first time Scott has made a generous donation to the state.  She donated $20 million each to Morehouse and Spelman colleges in 2020. Later that year gave $15 million to Clark Atlanta University. All three are historically Black college and universities in the downtown Atlanta area.  In 2022, Scott donated $4 million to Communities in Schools of Atlanta. This was to support work in dozens of schools in Atlanta as well as in Clayton.

Scott, worth an estimated $36.8 billion, got a 4% stake in Amazon when she and Bezos divorced in 2019. After their split, Scott signed the Giving Pledge, promising to give away at least half of her fortune over the course of her lifetime.

In 2020, it was reported Scott had already given away more than $14 billion to nearly 1,600 non-profit agencies.

Scott is well-known for giving the non-profits full control over how the money will be spent when she donates it.

Mary Liz is the News Director and Co-Host of Augusta’s Morning News on WGAC. She spent 11 years as a News Director at an Indiana Radio Station. She has also worked as a former Police and Courts Reporter for The Republic Newspaper and Assistant Marketing Director of Merchants National Bank in Indianapolis. Mary Liz focuses most on local breaking news stories, feature stories on upcoming events, or community-service related organizations and the people who serve them. She has been with WGAC since 1995.