One of the richest women in the world just donated over $18 million to Charlotte-area Habitat For Humanity branches – significantly boosting low-income housing opportunities around our city.
As part of her pledge to give away the majority of her wealth, billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott just announced a donation of $436 million to Habitat for Humanity affiliates nationwide, including $18.5 million to Charlotte affiliates.
“We could not be more excited to get the gift at a time when, in some ways, the state of housing affordability is the worst that it has been in modern times,” Jonathan Reckford, Habitat for Humanity International’s CEO, told The AP.
MacKenzie Scott is currently one of the richest women in the world, with an estimated net worth of more than $60 billion.
In a Medium blog post, Scott wrote:
“I asked a team of advisors to help me accelerate my giving through immediate support to people suffering the economic effects of the crisis. They took a data-driven approach to identifying organizations with strong leadership teams and results, with special attention to those operating in communities facing high projected food insecurity, high measures of racial inequity, high local poverty rates, and low access to philanthropic capital…
Though I’m far from completing my pledge, this year of giving began with exposure to leaders from historically marginalized groups fighting inequities, and ended with exposure to thousands of organizations working to alleviate suffering for those hardest hit by the pandemic. Witnessing the determination, creativity, and compassion of people in a crisis has been inspiring.”
What do you think about the donation?