Billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott is as soon as once more gifting away hundreds of thousands. On Tuesday, the Middle for Catastrophe Philanthropy (CDP) introduced it had obtained a $60 million present from Scott and her group, Yield Giving, which has donated greater than $19 billion to 1000’s of organizations.
The present to CDP, which helps restoration from pure disasters in struggling communities with missing assets, comes on the heels of the Trump administration’s cuts to the Federal Emergency Administration Company (FEMA)—a company Individuals depend on for assist throughout and after hurricanes, wildfires, tornadoes, and floods.
“All sectors of society—public, private, and social—share responsibility for helping communities thrive after a disaster,” CDP President and CEO Patricia McIlreacy informed Fortune. “Philanthropy plays a critical role in providing communities with resources to rebuild stronger, but it cannot—and should not—replace government and its essential responsibilities.”
The Trump administration has canceled or suspended key catastrophe mitigation grant packages, diminished federal catastrophe spending, shifting extra monetary and operational duty to state and native governments. For instance, the administration ended the Constructing Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant program, which had promised billions of {dollars} to assist state and native governments scale back catastrophe danger. President Donald Trump has additionally steered FEMA might ultimately be dismantled or drastically diminished.
The Trump administration suggests FEMA has an “outsized role,” which created a “bloated bureaucracy that disincentivized state investment in their own resilience,” White Home spokesperson Abigail Jackson informed Fortune.
“President Trump is committed to right-sizing the Federal government while empowering state and local governments by enabling them to better understand, plan for, and ultimately address the needs of their citizens,” Jackson mentioned. “Effective response and recovery from disasters relies on strong local and state leadership.”
The president’s FEMA Evaluate Council will advocate to Trump how FEMA will be reformed to “best serve the national interest,” Jackson added.
McIlreacy mentioned, nonetheless, the federal authorities is essential for catastrophe preparedness and restoration, and that because the nation braces for extra climate-related disasters, “we’d like all ranges of presidency to work collectively to assist communities, particularly these at biggest danger, thrive after a catastrophe.
CDP plans to make use of the funding to deepen its “equity-centered approach,” strengthen its partnerships, and develop the group’s dedication to long-term catastrophe restoration.
“Our focus will be on driving broader support for locally led, community-driven solutions and fundamentally shifting how philanthropic systems and structures sustain equitable recovery efforts for all communities around the world,” McIlreacy mentioned.
MacKenzie Scott’s giving historical past
Scott, the ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, has been deeply dedicated to philanthropy in the course of the previous few years. She’s value an estimated $34 billion and has pledged to provide away nearly all of her wealth.
Her donations, totaling greater than $19 billion, have supported organizations throughout a number of areas, together with schooling, catastrophe restoration, housing, the humanities, and well being. She most lately made vital donations to DEI-focused causes, together with a $40 million donation to the African American Cultural Heritage Motion Fund, and has donated lots of of hundreds of thousands of {dollars} to traditionally black schools and universities.
Many have known as Scott’s philanthropic model distinctive as a result of she makes items unrestricted, which means the organizations can select use the donations.
“Unlike traditional funding processes that often involve lengthy applications, specific restrictions, and reporting requirements, her style empowers organizations like ours to determine how best to direct funds quickly and innovatively to address pressing issues,” Noni Ramos, CEO of Housing Belief, informed Fortune in late 2024 when her group obtained a $30 million present from Scott.
