Mackenzie Scott, the ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, has become one of the most prolific individual donors in the United States and globally, giving away billions of dollars following her divorce in 2019. According to Forbes, Scott has donated $26.4 billion in less than seven years, including an estimated $7.2 billion in 2025 alone. Her philanthropic efforts recently earned her a spot on the Forbes Iconoclast 50 list. Forbes stated that Scott's annual donation total is the largest amount donated by any individual worldwide since the publication began tracking charitable giving in 2012.
Scott, who received a substantial stake in Amazon as part of her divorce settlement, has now given away more than 75% of the Amazon shares she received. Despite this, she remains one of the wealthiest women globally, with a net worth of approximately $33.1 billion.
Key Donations to Historically Black Colleges and Universities
A significant portion of Mackenzie Scott's philanthropy has been directed toward historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), which have traditionally faced funding challenges compared to many other U.S. institutions. Among her largest recent donations was an $80 million unrestricted gift to Howard University in 2025. Prairie View A&M University received $63 million, bringing Scott's total donations to the institution to $113 million, following an earlier $50 million contribution in 2020. Other institutions that have received major donations include Morgan State University, Spelman College, Virginia State University, and Winston-Salem State University. Unlike many traditional charitable donations, Scott's gifts are often unrestricted, allowing recipient institutions to decide how to utilize the funds.
Understanding the Forbes Iconoclast 50 List
Forbes launched the Iconoclast summit in 2022 to convene a forum for the world's most influential leaders in finance, industry, entertainment, media, and technology. The initiative aimed to gather and probe the world's leading minds for direction in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. While the pandemic may seem distant, 2026 presents new challenges and opportunities, from geopolitical conflicts to the rise of artificial intelligence. The Forbes Iconoclast 50 list recognizes leaders in finance, business, technology, media, entertainment, and philanthropy who are disrupting their industries and challenging the status quo. This year's honorees collectively represent more than $2.5 trillion in wealth. Among the 50 honorees, ten are women, and roughly one-quarter are immigrants. Their educational backgrounds vary widely: while many attended elite institutions such as Harvard, Wharton, and Stanford, 13 never completed college, and two left school before earning a high school diploma.
Forbes Profile on Mackenzie Scott
Mackenzie Scott is a philanthropist, author, and the ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, to whom she was married for 25 years. As part of their 2019 divorce, she received a 4% stake in the online retailer. In May 2019, shortly after announcing the divorce terms on Twitter, she signed the Giving Pledge, promising to give away at least half of her wealth over her lifetime. On a website called Yield Giving, Scott shares details of the $19.3 billion she has given to more than 2,500 nonprofits. Scott employs a "no strings attached" style of giving, wherein the nonprofits she donates to have full control over how to deploy the funds. Scott, who has published two novels, was a student of author Toni Morrison at Princeton and worked as a research assistant for her.
