MacKenzie Scott's donations help SC non-profits: Who got one, where the money comes from

Billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott has given billions in donations to non-profits and her most recent donation is helping one in Spartanburg.

The Mary Black Foundation in the Upstate, recently announced an $8 million donation from the woman who has made donations to various known charities and non-profit organizations in the United States.

"Amazing things are happening here in Spartanburg. A lot of things have received national attention like the Northside initiative and the Spartanburg Academic Movement," said Molly Talbot-Metz, President & CEO for Mary Black Foundation. "It says a lot about this community that we attract the interest of national funders."

Talbot-Metz isn't exactly sure how the Foundation caught the attention of Scott though, considering Scott usually donates to nationally known non-profits and charities usually.

But here are some things we do know:

Donation to Big Brothers Big Sisters:MacKenzie Scott donates more of her fortune, giving $122M to Big Brothers Big Sisters of America

Where has the money gone?:MacKenzie Scott has donated more than $12 billion. Here's where some of the money has gone.

Who is MacKenzie Scott?

Along with the title of billionaire and philanthropist, Scott is also an author, who has published two books. But she is well known for who her ex-husband is...the founder of Amazon.

Scott and Jeff Bezos were married for 25 years before the two divorced in 2019.

That year Scott declared that she was going to donate most of her wealth and has donated billions in the last several years to various charitable organizations across the country.

Even after her donations, Forbes magazine estimates Scott's net worth at $29.5 billion.

Who has Scott donated to?

In July 2020, Scott announced in her blog she had given about $1.7 billion to 116 groups. In December the same year, she handed an additional $4.2 billion to 384 diverse organizations.

Scott last year donated $2.7 billion to 286 charities. And seems to be looking to make it another multibillion-dollar donation year in 2022.

The writer and philanthropist revealed in March she has handed over $3.9 billion to hundreds of organizations in the last nine months alone, funding areas such as climate and education, as well as Ukraine relief efforts. Scott donated $122 million to Big Brothers Big Sisters of America in May.

Some of the largest donations MacKenzie Scott has made so far

Habitat for Humanity – $436 million

Boys & Girls Clubs of America – $281 million

Planned Parenthood – $275 million

Communities in Schools – $133.5 million

Big Brothers Big Sisters of America – $122.6 million

National 4-H Council – $50 million

MacKenzie Scott's money helps SC non-profits

With the funding from Scott, the Mary Black Foundation said it plans to develop a strategic initiative to "advance health equity, expand investing and increase grantmaking."

The Mary Black Foundation has provided over $65 million in grants. Early childhood education, accessible and affordable healthcare and safe and supportive neighborhoods are among the foundation's key initiatives.

The foundation isn't the only group that has received a donation from Scott.

In 2021, the YMCA of Greater Spartanburg announced a "seven-figure gift" from Scott, the largest gift the organization has ever received.

Many other national organizations across the state like Communities in Schools, Habitat for Humanity, Boys & Girls Clubs have felt the impact of Scott's donations to the national parent organizations.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY NETWORK: MacKenzie Scott Amazon money donations: Which SC nonprofits got one