Bezos received a philanthropy award from the Vatican last week, while Scott continues to dole out charitable gifts without seeking the limelight.
Samir Hussein/Getty Images; Javier Rojas/Newscom
“When my father came to the United States from Cuba, alone and speaking no English at the tender age of 16, the Catholic Church took him and 15 other boys under their care in a mission led by two priests in Wilmington, Delaware,” Bezos told a group of high-ranking Catholic officials in his acceptance speech. “Sitting here in the Vatican today, I would like to thank the Church for that gift.”Forbes
Compare that to powerhouse philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, Bezos’s notoriously press-shy ex-wife, who has given away five times more than him—$12.8 billion—in a little over two years. That’s $10.2 billion more than Bezos. Don’t expect her to accept any awards, though. Scott doesn’t make public appearances or give interviews to the media. The only public-facing communication about her philanthropy comes in the form of semi-yearly updates on the blogging site Medium.
The two philanthropists also appear to have very different mindsets about their giving. Scott has said her goal is to systematically get rid of her wealth. In her Giving Pledge, where she commits to giving away the majority of her fortune, she concedes, “I have a disproportionate amount of money to share. My approach to philanthropy will continue to be thoughtful. It will take time and effort and care. But I won’t wait. And I will keep at it until the safe is empty.