Lexington-based nonprofit Voices of Hope gets $2M from Amazon co-founder MacKenzie Scott

MacKenzie Scott made a donation to 361 community-led non-profits, and the Lexington-based Voices of Hope made the list.

Her recent donations totaled up to $640 million, AP reported. Voices of Hope received a $2 million dollar donation from Scott.

What is Voices of Hope?

Voices of Hope (VOH) is a non-profit organization based out of Lexington that works to promote lifelong recovery from the chronic disease of addiction through recovery support services, advocacy, research and education.

Their professional teams of trained recovery coaches are located in 11 counties throughout the state. Their goals are to decrease overdose deaths, increase accessibility to recovery programs/recovery housing, increase the number of people in long-term recovery and increase community knowledge of substance use disorder and recovery resources.

"Voices of Hope is founded by people who are in or have been affected by substance abuse disorder so we have first-hand experience to help people find recovery and stay in recovery," the organization's website reads.

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Who is MacKenzie Scott?

MacKenzie Scott is a philanthropist and author who started Amazon with her ex-husband Jeff Bezos.

She started her website, Yield Giving, to keep a public record of her donations and share essays written by Scott about giving and updates on the search for organizations to donate to.

Why is MacKenzie Scott making donations?

Scott put out an open call for applications from community focused non-profits seeking donations after she promised to give away her wealth to charity.

"In addition to whatever assets life has nurtured in me, I have a disproportionate amount of money to share," Scott wrote in an essay posted on Yield Giving in May 2019. "My approach to philanthropy will continue to be thoughtful. It will take time and effort and care. But I won’t wait. And I will keep at it until the safe is empty."

After her divorce from ex-husband, Bezos, the wealth they accumulated founding Amazon together led her to receive a large payout, one she decided not to keep all to herself.

Yield Giving: MacKenzie Scott, billionaire philanthropist, donates $640M to support 361 nonprofits

Her current net worth determined by Forbes is 35.4 billion USD, meaning she is sitting at number 60 on the list of the wealthiest people in the world. Her ex-husband, Bezos, currently sits at the number 3 spot just behind Elon Musk.

Katie Wiseman is a trending news intern at IndyStar. Contact her at klwiseman@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @itskatiewiseman.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: MacKenzie Scott gives $2M to Kentucky nonprofit Voices of Hope