MacKenzie Scott, Melinda Gates Give $40 Million To Gender Equality Groups

The recipients were part of the Equality Can't-Wait Challenge, which was announced last year by Scott and French Gates and also funded by billionaire Lynn Schusterman's family foundation.

Philanthropists MacKenzie Scott and Melinda French Gates joined forces Thursday to give $40 million to four organizations that promote gender equality. The recipients were part of the Equality Can't-Wait Challenge, which was announced last year by Scott and French Gates and also funded by billionaire Lynn Schusterman's family foundation. The projects winning $10 million each were selected from a pool of more than 500 applicants working in fields including technology, education, care-giving and indigenous communities. An additional $8 million was split between two finalists. "The awardees are strong teams working on the front lines and from within communities to help women build power in their lives and careers," Scott said in a statement. French Gates said she hoped the funding would help "break the patterns of history and advance gender equality." Scott is the world's third-richest woman, with a fortune of $64.1 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, while French Gates has a net worth of $3.2 billion.