MacKenzie Scott gives $10 million to Jewish nonprofit HIAS for Ukraine refugee relief
MacKenzie Scott in Berlin, Germany on Apr. 24, 2018. (Jörg Carstensen/picture alliance via Getty Images)
(JTA) — Billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott has donated $10 million to the Jewish humanitarian group HIAS for its work aiding refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine.
HIAS announced the gift Wednesday as Scott, the ex-wife of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, revealed her latest multi-billion-dollar round of charitable giving. She gave $3.8 billion to 465 organizations in this round, bringing her total philanthropic funding to $12 billion.
The HIAS grant will go toward humanitarian relief for refugees from Ukraine and help with resettlement in the countries of the European Union. Services provided to refugees by HIAS’s local partners include housing, education, health, language training and mental health with an emphasis on reducing gender-based risks for those who have been displaced by the war.
Some of the money will also help Jews from countries bordering Ukraine relocate to Western Europe, according to HIAS.
HIAS, formerly the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, traces its origin to the late 19th century when millions of Jews migrating out of Eastern Europe required aid. In recent years, with few Jews impacted by the world’s new refugee crises, HIAS transformed into a humanitarian advocacy group for all displaced people.
After the fall of the Soviet Union, for example, HIAS built up a presence in Ukraine and established a local partner called Right to Protection, or R2P.
Now, HIAS says that its experience and infrastructure are proving to be critical.
“HIAS has been working in independent Ukraine for over 20 years, working with Ukrainians and launching a Ukrainian-led organization (Right to Protection – R2P) to protect and welcome asylum seekers from other countries as well as displaced Ukrainians themselves,” HIAS president and CEO Mark Hetfield said the statement that announced Scott’s gift. “Today, we are working with partners — many of whom are displaced persons themselves — to help refugees and the displaced be safe, welcome, and able to lead their lives until they can finally return home.”
Scott, who is now married to Seattle science teacher Dan Jewett and whose net worth is estimated at $55 billion, has contributed to HIAS in the past. Last year, she gave HIAS an undisclosed sum along with gifts to two other Jewish nonprofits as a part of a $2.7 billion funding round for 286 organizations.
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