Planned Parenthood Keystone receives $7.5M donation from MacKenzie Scott
Planned Parenthood Keystone received $7.5 million from MacKenzie Scott, ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
Warminster-based Planned Parenthood Keystone has received a $7.5 million donation from billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott.
The award is part of a $275 million donation Scott, who divorced Amazon founder Jeff Bezos in 2019, made to Planned Parenthood Federation of America and 20 affiliates of the organization, which provides low-cost or free sexual and reproductive health services.
“We are over the moon about this course-changing and transformative gift,” said Melissa Reed, Planned Parenthood Keystone CEO, in a statement. “This gift will eliminate major barriers to care and increase access throughout Central and Northeastern Pennsylvania.”
Some of the money will be put toward financial assistance for patients seeking abortion and reproductive services, such as gynecological exams, STD testing, and pregnancy testing, at Planned Parenthood Keystone’s nine health centers. The money will also be used to invest in new technology, Reed said.
The gift to Planned Parenthood follows an announcement Tuesday that Scott was donating $20 million to Benefits Data Trust, a Philadelphia nonprofit that helps people overcome barriers to government benefits for food, housing, and health care.
» READ MORE: MacKenzie Scott gives Philly nonprofit $20M to help needy get government benefits
Scott, who received a 4% share of Amazon in her divorce from Bezos, has an estimated net worth of $48.3 billion, according to Forbes -- a fortune she has shared with hundreds of charities.
In a blog post Wednesday, Scott said that since last June she had donated almost $3.9 billion to 465 organizations that “support the needs of unrepresented people from groups of all kinds,” she wrote.
“We don’t advocate for particular policies or reforms,” Scott wrote. “Instead, we seek a portfolio of organizations that supports the ability of all people to participate in solutions.”
Other Philadelphia-area recipients of Scott’s donations in previous years include:
Lincoln University ($20 million)
Reinvestment Fund ($20 million), which finances projects in communities long ignored by commercial banks
Community First Fund ($10 million), which provides loans and other assistance to individuals and businesses in low-income neighborhoods.
Easter Seals Southeastern Pennsylvania, the Greater Philadelphia YMCA, and the United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey were also among the recipients in 2020, but details on the amounts were not available.