MacKenzie Scott’s philanthropic contributions reached an extraordinary $7.2 billion in 2025 alone, pushing her cumulative giving through Yield Giving to $26 billion over the past five years. This figure, distributed across more than 2,700 organizations, represents a significant proportion of her wealth and notably surpasses the lifetime charitable donations of many of the world’s richest individuals, including her former husband, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. The sheer scale of her recent giving establishes a new benchmark in contemporary philanthropy.
Bezos, currently the world’s fourth-richest person, along with his wife Lauren Sánchez Bezos, has contributed an estimated $4.7 billion to charitable causes throughout their lives. This sum accounts for approximately one-fifth of what Scott has donated since their 2019 divorce. At that time, Scott received roughly 4% of Amazon stock, valued between $36 billion and $38 billion. Despite her substantial donations, Scott’s net worth has continued to grow, buoyed by Amazon’s escalating share value. The company’s market capitalization has soared from approximately $830 billion in January 2019 to $2.24 trillion today, solidifying its position as the top company on the Fortune 500 list. This upward trajectory means Scott’s estimated net worth, currently around $39.2 billion, has absorbed her giving and still seen an increase, demonstrating the immense scale of wealth generated by Amazon.
Upon her divorce, Scott committed to the Giving Pledge, an initiative co-founded by Bill Gates, Melinda French Gates, and Warren Buffett in 2010. This pledge encourages billionaires to dedicate the majority of their wealth to philanthropy. While many signatories have struggled to fulfill this commitment, citing complexities in effectively deploying large sums, Scott has consistently moved vast amounts of capital. Howard Buffett, Warren Buffett’s son, recently articulated the challenge, telling CNBC that “there’s a lot of things you can fund that will go nowhere” if underlying systemic issues are not addressed. Scott’s approach, however, has been characterized by direct, unrestricted grants to organizations, often representing the largest donations these entities have ever received.
Bezos, while not a signatory to the Giving Pledge, has also increased his philanthropic efforts. He and Sánchez Bezos recently allocated $102.5 million to organizations combating homelessness across the United States. This is part of the Bezos Day 1 Families Fund, which has distributed over $850 million to various organizations spanning all 50 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and Guam. These efforts are part of a broader $2 billion commitment. However, even this extensive plan is dwarfed by Scott’s disbursements. Bezos has also pledged billions to climate initiatives through his Bezos Earth Fund, but a significant portion of these funds remain earmarked rather than fully disbursed. Scott, by contrast, has already transferred considerable sums directly to grantees, empowering them with immediate resources.
Scott’s philanthropic methodology challenges traditional models. She operates with a lean staff, issues few press releases, and primarily employs a trust-based philanthropy approach. This method grants recipient organizations the autonomy to determine the most effective use of funds, eliminating the typical strictures of reporting requirements and specific restrictions. Noni Ramos, CEO of Housing Trust Silicon Valley, whose organization received a $30 million gift from Scott in late 2024, lauded this approach. Ramos noted that it allows organizations to “direct funds quickly and innovatively to address pressing issues,” unlike the often cumbersome traditional funding processes.
In a 2021 statement on her Yield Giving website, Scott articulated her philosophy: “Because we believe that teams with experience on the front lines of challenges will know best how to put the money to good use, we encouraged them to spend it however they choose.” She further explained that many recipients reported a significant increase in the impact of the gift due to this trust. This method, Scott suggested, is not new, drawing parallels to historical practices of yielding control to empower others. Scott’s consistent and substantial giving, averaging over $5 billion annually since her divorce, places her among the most generous philanthropists globally, having donated 46% of her net worth. She surpasses other prominent givers such as Michael Bloomberg, George Soros, Steve Ballmer, and Mark Zuckerberg and Dr. Priscilla Chan in terms of the proportion of wealth given away.
