Despite Elon Musk's criticism, MacKenzie Scott has doubled her initial $250 million pledge and announced a massive $640 million donation to be distributed to numerous organisations.
Out of the more than 6,000 organisations that applied, 361 got money from Scott's Yield Giving organisation in collaboration with the charity Lever for Change; 279 of these organisations received $2 million, while the remaining 82 received $1 million each.
Scott's hefty donation comes a few weeks after Musk criticised her charity work.
'Super rich ex-wives who hate their former spouse' should be listed among 'Reasons that Western Civilization died,' Musk said in a now-deleted X post on March 6.
Musk did not mention a reason for specifically targeting Scott, although he has been a harsh critic of efforts of initiatives aimed at advancing corporate inclusion, equity, and diversity.
"DEI is just another word for racism. Shame on anyone who uses it," Musk said in an X post in January.
Before this, Musk criticised Scott for donating billions of dollars to charities. Musk had said back in May 2022 that Scott's enterprises were being ignored by the Democratic Party because of his contributions to "PACs posing as charities".
"It's safe to say that MacKenzie [ahem] Scott is not exactly a big fan of her ex-husband. Unfortunately, a lot of others are getting caught in the crossfire," Musk said in an X post in May 2022.
Regarding Scott, it appears that she has not publicly addressed Musk's remarks regarding her financial management.
According to a post on her Yield Giving website, Scott selected the non-governmental organisations "from a pool of over 6,000 applicants." She said that the 361 organisations had been "elevated by peer organisations and a round-2 evaluation panel" and that they "are vital agents of change."
Scott has also contributed to women's health and charities that support minorities this year. She makes contributions to several organisations, such as the ACLU of Alabama, the Centre for Empowering Refugees and Immigrants, and the Institute of Women & Ethnic Studies.
Megan Peterson, the executive director of the nonprofit advocacy group Gender Justice, said of Scott's donation, "This open call award helps us take our fight for justice and equity to the next level, continuing our work to dismantle the legal, structural, and cultural barriers that contribute to gender inequity." Scott is going to provide $2 million to Peterson's group.
In addition, Scott distinguishes herself from majority of donors by not placing any restrictions on her contributions, unlike those who do.
According to a 2022 Medium blog post by Scott, about $2 billion has been donated to "343 organisations supporting the voices and opportunities of people from underserved communities."
Scott donated $15 million to Planned Parenthood and $275 million to the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service in 2022.
