In an unprecedented act of philanthropy, MacKenzie Scott, the former wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, has shattered her own records by donating a staggering over $7.1 billion in the year 2025. This marks the largest annual charitable contribution in her history, as detailed in a personal essay on her website, Yield Giving.
A Global Wave of Generosity
The monumental sum of $7,166,000,000 was distributed to a diverse portfolio of 186 organizations operating across the globe. The beneficiaries span a wide spectrum, including universities, environmental nonprofits, and numerous groups dedicated to fighting for social equality. In her blog post, Scott reflected on the scale of her giving, noting that while the dollar figure would capture headlines, it represents only a tiny fraction of the care being shared within communities worldwide.
Focus on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)
A significant portion of Scott's 2025 philanthropy continued her strong focus on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Earlier in the year, the 55-year-old philanthropist made one of her most notable single donations: $80 million to Howard University. This gift stands as one of the largest in the historically Black university's 158-year history.
Her commitment to educational equity extended far beyond this. Scott also directed $42 million to 10,000 Degrees, a Bay Area nonprofit that works to expand college access for low-income and predominantly non-white students. Furthermore, she made several other eight-figure commitments, including support for Native student scholars and endowments for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) through the United Negro College Fund (UNCF).
Philanthropic Standing and Net Worth
This historic year of giving has solidified MacKenzie Scott's position among the world's most generous living philanthropists. According to Forbes, her lifetime giving now places her behind only Warren Buffett and Bill Gates in terms of total charitable contributions.
Scott's ability to make such transformative donations stems from her vast wealth, primarily derived from her stake in Amazon. In a regulatory filing in September 2025, she revealed she had reduced her Amazon holdings by $12.6 billion, cutting her stake in the e-commerce giant by nearly 42%. She now holds 81.1 million Amazon shares. Despite this divestment, Forbes estimates her current net worth at $29.9 billion, maintaining her status as one of the world's wealthiest women following her 2019 divorce from Jeff Bezos.
MacKenzie Scott's 'no-strings-attached' giving philosophy continues to disrupt traditional philanthropy, rapidly channeling immense wealth to organizations on the front lines of societal change. Her record-breaking 2025 donations underscore a deliberate and accelerated commitment to addressing systemic inequality and supporting underrepresented communities on a global scale.
