Girl Scouts of the USA receive largest ever donation from single donor

By CNN Newsource

Published October 18, 2022 11:27 AM

by Devon M. Sayers

Girl Scouts of the USA received its largest ever donation from a single individual, a gift of $84.5 million from MacKenzie Scott, the ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, the group said in a release.

The donation will be awarded to 29 local councils selected by Scott, along with the national chapter.

Scott, one of the wealthiest women in the world, divorced Bezos in 2019. Last year, Scott announced donations of $2.7 billion to nearly 300 organizations, following donations of $1.7 billion and $4 billion to various causes in 2020. One of the largest was a $436 million gift to Habitat for Humanity International and its affiliates, to be used to promote home ownership in Black and minority communities.

Since mid 2020, Scott has donated $12.8 billion to more than 1,200 organizations, according to Forbes.

The grants to the Girl Scouts will be used, in part, to “create more equitable membership opportunities in communities that have been under engaged” and “foster meaningful program innovation informed by the current interests and needs of girls to prepare them for leadership, including an expanded focus on career readiness and mental wellness,” the release said.

“This is a great accelerator for our ongoing efforts to help girls cultivate the skills and connections needed to lead in their own communities and globally,” Girl Scouts CEO Sofia Chang said in a release.

Girl Scouts of the USA says it’s the largest leadership organization for girls in the world, with 2.5 million members worldwide.