Jeff Bezos' ex-wife MacKenzie Scott who sold half of her Amazon stake could not find place in top donors list despite 'gifting' billions, as ...

Mackenzie Scott has gifted $7.1 billion in 2025 charitable donations but despite the massive giving, she did not make it to the latest list of top donors published by the Chronicle of Philanthropy. According to a Fortune report, the exclusion surprised many because Scott’s donations last year alone were higher than the lifetime charitable giving of her former husband, Jeff Bezos. Experts say the reason behind her absence from the list is not the amount she donated, but the lack of public details about how her donations are managed through her organization, Yield Giving.

Why MacKenzie Scott was left out from top donor’s list

As quoted in the Fortune report, the Chronicle of Philanthropy said Mackenzie Scott and her representatives did not provide enough information about donations linked to donor-advised funds, making it difficult to include her in the ranking.


“MacKenzie Scott is among the notable absences on the Philanthropy 50 list,” the Chronicle said. “While it is possible she made gifts to her donor-advised funds that would have earned her a spot on the Philanthropy 50, she and her representatives declined to provide such information to the Chronicle.”


Mackenzie Scott is reportedly known for keeping her donations private and rarely speaking publicly about them. Her philanthropic organization, Yield Giving, also does not regularly share details with the media, the report stated.

Mackenzie Scott’s donations bigger than Jeff Bezos’ lifetime giving

According to reports, Mackenzie Scott has donated about $27 billion since 2019. In comparison, Forbes estimates that Jeff Bezos and his wife, Lauren Sánchez Bezos, have donated around $4.7 billion over their lifetimes.


Scott received about 4% of Amazon shares after her 2019 divorce from Bezos. At the time, the stake was valued at around $36 billion to $38 billion. Despite donating billions, her wealth has continued to grow along with Amazon’s stock value.


As stated above, in 2025 alone she donated around $7 billion. Some of her major gifts in the year include:

• Howard University: $80 million
• Virginia State University: $50 million
• Alcorn State University: $42 million
• Spelman College: $38 million
• United Negro College Fund (UNCF): $70 million
• African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund: $40 million
• Center for Disaster Philanthropy: $60 million

Mackenzie Scott says kindness matters more than headlines

Mackenzie Scott has said she does not see philanthropy as just about large numbers. In an essay published in December 2025, she wrote that the amount donated is “a vanishingly tiny fraction of the personal expressions of care being shared into communities this year.”

She also said the impact of generosity is often difficult to measure, adding, “The potential of peaceful, non-transactional contribution has long been underestimated.”