In this March 4, 2018, file photo, then-MacKenzie Bezos arrives at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party in Beverly Hills, Calif. Scott, philanthropist, author and former wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, has married a Seattle science teacher. Dan Jewett wrote in a letter to the website of the nonprofit organization the Giving Pledge, on Saturday, March 6, 2021, that he was grateful to be able to marry such a generous person and was ready to help her give away her wealth to help others. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)
MacKenzie Scott, philanthropist, author, and former wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, has married a Seattle science teacher who expressed gratitude “for the exceptional privilege it will be to partner in giving away assets with the potential to do so much good when shared."
Dan Jewett, who made the announcement in a letter to the website of the nonprofit organization the Giving Pledge on Saturday, said he never imagined he would be in a position to talk about giving away significant wealth during his lifetime in order to make a difference in other people's lives.
Jewett has been a teacher for decades and most recently taught chemistry at the private Lakeside School, where Scott's children attended.
“And now, in a stroke of happy coincidence, I am married to one of the most generous and kind people I know — and joining her in a commitment to pass on an enormous financial wealth to serve others," Jewett wrote.
After donating $1.68 billion to 116 nonprofits, universities, community development groups, and legal organizations last July, Scott asked a team of advisers to help her “accelerate” her 2020 giving with immediate help to those financially gutted by the pandemic.
Scott went on to donate a total of $5.7 billion in 2020 by asking community leaders to help identify 512 organizations for seven- and eight-figure gifts, including food banks, human-service organizations, and racial-justice charities.
She was listed as No. 2 among the 50 Americans who gave the most to charity last year, according to the Chronicle of Philanthropy’s annual rankings.
Bezos topped the list by donating $10 billion to launch the Bezos Earth Fund.
Bioscience and genetic engineering company, Colossal, raised $60 million in a Series A funding round. Colossal is focused on developing new technologies and genetic tools to restore extinct species, and protect critically endangered species. One of the startup's long-term goals is to resurrect the woolly mammoth, and return it back to the arctic. Colossal also says it is developing technology that expands beyond animals, and has the potential to advance human health. Ben Lamm, co-founder and CEO of Colossal, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
After a two-year hiatus, the New York City St. Patrick’s Day parade up Fifth Avenue in Manhattan made its triumphant return. More than 150,000 people turned up to celebrate the day even through bad weather.
Jordan Mauriello, CEO of MoreYellow, talks about the evolving landscape of female gamers and why brands see Influencers as more valuable than their male counterparts.
Apple's Racial Equity and Justice Initiative is a $100 million program aimed at combating systemic racism while working to advance racial equity across the country. Alisha Johnson, director of the initiative, joined Cheddar at SXSW to discuss the work being done. "We focused on three critical areas. The first is education. The second is criminal justice reform, and the third is economic empowerment, really looking first in our own supply chain, how can we really increase our spend with Latinx, Hispanic, and indigenous-owned businesses," she said. "And then how can we go further to empower entrepreneurs who have been cut out of access to funding and capital and really help them to get the funding."
What you Need to Know on Thursday, March 17. Updates from Ukraine, President Biden refers to Putin as a ‘war criminal’ for the first time, Walmart has ambitious hiring targets for Q1, and Netflix takes steps to crack down on password sharing.
Residents were cleaning their homes Thursday after a 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Fukushima in northern Japan, smashing furniture, knocking out power and killing four people.
Biden calls Putin a "war criminal," HBCUs are getting grant money for security after dozens of bomb threats, and Cannes may hate red-carpet selfies, but this year they're partnering with TikTok. Here is all the news you Need2Know for Thursday, March 17, 2022.
A Peacock streaming show about a '90s one-hit-wonder girl group getting another chance at musical success, "Girls5Eva" drops its second season on the platform on May 5. Cheddar's Michelle Castillo sat down with creator Meredith Scardino and actor Paula Pell from South By Southwest in Austin, Texas, to talk about what fans can expect from the series in Season 2. "They're going to create their first studio album, which is really exciting," Scardino said. "So we're going to follow that journey as they as they get back in the studio."
Cheddar News senior reporter Michelle Castillo was joined by the cast of 'Lizzo's Watch Out for the Big Grrrls' during South by Southwest 2022. They talk all about the new series, which premieres March 25 on Prime Video.
