MacKenzie Scott giving to Rapid City based NDN Collective as part of nearly $3 billion dollar campaign of giving

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)

by: Jacob Newton

Posted: Jun 16, 2021 / 10:46 AM CDT

Updated: Jun 16, 2021 / 01:05 PM CDT

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KELO) — MacKenzie Scott, the billionaire philanthropist ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, announced in a Medium post that she will be giving away $2,739,000,000 in gifts to 286 “high-impact organizations in categories and communities that have been historically underfunded and overlooked.”

One of those 286 groups is the Rapid City based NDN Collective, a group which was created in their own words to “build the collective power of Indigenous Peoples, communities, and Nations to exercise our inherent right to self-determination, while fostering a world that is built on a foundation of justice and equity for all people and the planet.”

Scott made the announcement Tuesday, citing issues of wealth inequality, discrimination and the need for investment in education as reasons for her giving.

It is currently unknown what amount the Collective will be receiving. KELOLAND News has reached out to NDN Collective for comment.