Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott has donated more than US$19 billion to over 2,000 organizations, since her divorce from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos in 2019.
A three-year study by the Center for Effective Philanthropy (CEP) released in February analyzed Scott’s donations of over $19.25 billion to more than 2,450 nonprofits in the U.S. and abroad. It found that 93% of nonprofit leaders said her grants had moderately or significantly strengthened their ability to fulfill their missions. Another 90% reported improved financial health, and more than 60% said the donations enhanced their credibility with other funders, Entrepreneur magazine reported.
“It could take decades to truly understand the effects these gifts have had on nonprofits and the sector at large,” reads the CEP’s report. “However, after five years of giving, the reported effects of her gifts on recipient organizations … remain overwhelmingly positive.”
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Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and ex-wife philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. Photo from X |
As of June 3, Scott, 54, has a net worth of $29.1 billion, according to Forbes. Her wealth stems from a 4% stake in Amazon, valued at around $38 billion at the time of her divorce settlement.
The study also found that 85% of recipients used Scott’s gifts to improve or expand their programs, while 52% said the funding boosted their capacity to meet the needs of their communities. Her donations far exceeded sector norms, ranging from $300,000 to $80 million, well above the CEP-tracked median nonprofit grant of $123,000.
Scott and Bezos were married for 25 years and have four children, three sons and a daughter. When finalizing their divorce in 2019, Scott wrote on X: “Grateful to have finished the process of dissolving my marriage with Jeff with support from each other and everyone who reached out to us in kindness, and looking forward to the next phase as co-parents and friends.”
That same year, she signed the Giving Pledge, a commitment by billionaires to donate at least half of their wealth, writing that she had “a disproportionate amount of money to share” and would continue giving “until the safe is empty.”
In 2021, she married Dan Jewett, a former science teacher in Seattle. The couple separated in January 2023, according to People magazine.
Meanwhile, Bezos began dating former news anchor and media personality Lauren Sánchez in 2019. They became engaged in May 2023 and are set for a wedding in Venice, Italy in June, reportedly costing around $10 million, with a guest list that includes A-list celebrities, politicians, and business leaders.