Jeff Bezos accepts philanthropy award as ex-wife Mackenzie Scott outpaces his donations

Jeff Bezos and Mackenzie Scott had gotten divorced in 2019 after which the Amazon founder gave 4 per cent of the company's stock worth around $36 billion to Scott.

Jeff Bezos recently accepted an award at the Vatican for his philanthropy work while his ex-wife Mackenzie Scott donated $84.5 million to Girl Scouts USA.

Accompanied by girlfriend Lauren Sanchez, the Amazon founder received Galileo Prophets of Philanthropy Award in Italy for his work in donating to causes. Sanchez shared a snippet of Bezos's acceptance speech at the Vatican on Instagram and wrote that she was "so proud" of him.

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During his speech, Jeff Bezos thanked the church for their support of his step-father Mike Bezos when he moved to the US from Cuba at 16. He also attempted to bridge the gap between religion and science and said he "cannot think of a better place to confront the problems we face today than here."

Bezos highlighted the problems facing the planet and said, "The journey we are on to solve them will require the best of science and leadership."

Meanwhile Mackenzie Scott, Bezos's ex-wife of 25 years, continued her philanthropic spree by donating more than $84.5 million to Girl Scout USA this week. It is reportedly the largest donation they have ever received and will help the organization recover from the impact of the pandemic, during which membership plummeted .

"Her support of our organization means honestly just as much as the donation," Sofia Chang, CEO of Girl Scouts USA, said in an interview. It's the largest donation the Girl Scouts have received from an individual since their founding in 1912, she added.

Read more: MacKenzie Scott is expanding her $12.4 billion giving spree globally

Earlier this year, Scott had also made a $275 million donation to Planned Parenthood.

Jeff Bezos and Mackenzie Scott had gotten divorced in 2019 after which the Amazon founder gave 4 per cent of the company's stock worth around $36 billion to Scott.

Read more: MacKenzie Scott donates $436 million to Habitat for Humanity