LAHAINA, Hawaii — MacKenzie Scott donated $5 million to the Hawaii Community Foundation, according to a news release published Wednesday.
Seventy-five percent of the funds will go to the Maui Strong Fund and the rest will go to HCF’s operating costs.
HCF created the Maui Strong Fund on Aug. 9, the day after the devastating Maui wildfires, to support the immediate and long-term recovery needs. With Scott’s gift, more than $163 million has been donated to the Maui Strong Fund from 240,000 donors based around the world.
“We are honored that Ms. Scott continues to recognize and trust the Hawaii Community Foundation’s ability to respond to the needs of our community,” says Micah Kāne, chief executive officer and president of HCF.
In 2020, Scott donated $10 million to HCF’s Hawaii Resilience Fund, which provided money to community nonprofits and healthcare providers dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.
As of Dec. 1, more than $34 million from the Maui Strong Fund has been distributed to over 150 partners addressing a range of needs on Maui, including baby and maternal care, direct financial assistance, food, housing, healthcare, immigration services, counseling and workforce development. To be transparent, the Maui Strong Fund’s website includes a list of the organizations that have received grants, the amounts of the grants and other details.
Scott is a billionaire, who owns 4% stake in Amazon. She divorced the founder of Amazon, Jeff Bezos, in 2019. In 2019, Scott signed the Giving Pledge, which asks wealthy people to give away at least half of their net worth to charity during their lifetime or when they die.
Michelle Broder Van Dyke covers the Hawaiian Islands for Spectrum News Hawaii. Email her at michelle.brodervandyke@charter.com.