MacKenzie Scott makes record $50M donation to National 4-H Council

Feb. 22 (UPI) -- Billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott pledged a $50 million gift to the National 4-H Council in a gesture that will "help close the opportunity gap for America's youth," the club announced Tuesday.

The donation by the ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and her husband Dan Jewett is the largest-ever single donation in the organization's 120-year history, the organization said.

Scott did not comment publicly on the donation.

"This investment will support positive youth development for nearly six million kids and their families in every U.S. county, parish, and territory," National 4-H Council officials said in a published statement.

"Their generosity will sustain 4-H's commitment to ensuring all young people -- regardless of their background or beliefs -- are empowered with the skills to lead for a lifetime," council president and CEO Jennifer Sirangelo said.

The organization engages youth around the country with programs in science, technology, engineering and math, as well as healthy living, civic engagement, and agriculture. The programs are backed by a network of 100 land-grant universities.

"This extraordinary gift is a rare and special occurrence," said National 4-H Council Board Chair Krysta Harden.

"With such a significant gift comes great responsibility. We will engage our stakeholders to ensure these resources lift the diverse voices of young people and create equitable and inclusive opportunities for this generation, and many future generations to come," she added.

Scott became one of the world's wealthiest women after her divorce from Bezos, with a net worth of more than $59 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

She has been philanthropic with the money, giving away $8.9 billion in less than two years, including the 4-H gift.

In July, she and Jewett, a Seattle science teacher, donated $2.7 billion to 286 organizations, saying they chose "high-impact" non-profit organizations focused on arts, racial justice, higher education and combating domestic violence as well as serving "communities that have been historically underfunded and overlooked."