MacKenzie Bezos pledges to give half her fortune to charity

MacKenzie Bezos has signed a pledge to give at least half of her wealth to charity following her divorce from Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos.

She has signed the Giving Pledge, which was started by Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett and encourages signers to set aside at least half of their personal accumulated wealth for charitable purposes over their lifetimes or in their wills.

Jeff Bezos has long declined to sign on to the pledge.

{mosads}“In addition to whatever assets life has nurtured in me, I have a disproportionate amount of money to share,” she said in a statement on the pledge’s website. “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,” she continued.

MacKenzie Bezos was one of 19 signers announced by the Giving Pledge on Tuesday, bringing the total number of philanthropists joining the effort to more than 200.

“We are thrilled to welcome this year’s group of Giving Pledge signatories to the community, which has grown to more than 200 people in just nine years,” Buffett said in a press release.

“The generosity of this group is a reflection of the inspiration we take from the many millions of people who work quietly and effectively to create a better world for others, often at great personal sacrifice,” he added.

Other figures who signed on to the pledge Tuesday include Coinbase currency exchange founder Brian Armstrong and Pinterest co-founder Paul Sciarra.

Jeff Bezos has faced increasing pressure to sign the pledge and last year announced he would give $2 billion to build a network of preschools and help homeless families.