In recent years, few billionaire philanthropic efforts have stood out as much as Mackenzie Scott’s, who is known for her spectacular brand of no-strings-attached generosity. Recently, Scott and her foundation Yield Giving donated a whopping $42 million to a San Rafael-based non-profit organization called 10,000 degrees which supports first-generation learners who are largely people of colour and gives them access to a college education. According to Fortune, this is the largest donation given to the NGO in its 45 year history.
For those who are unaware, Mackenzie Scott is the ex-wife of billionaire Jeff Bezos with whom she parted ways in 2019 after 25 years of marriage. Scott was instrumental in the founding of Amazon, the e-commerce company that launched the collective wealth of the couple into the stratosphere. As of July 2025, MacKenzie Scott has a net worth of $41.9 billion with an ownership of 1.3% stake in Amazon, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. This makes her the third-wealthiest woman in the United States and puts her at 40th place, among the wealthiest people in the world. So, the question begets itself: Who is MacKenzie Scott?
Mackenzie Scott the novelist
While most people would know MacKenzie Scott as the ex-wife of Jeff Bezos, few would know that she is a celebrated novelist in her own right. Born on April 7, 1970 in San Francisco, California, Scott is one of three children and the only daughter of her parents Holiday Robin and Jason Baker Tuttle. From an early age she was drawn to writing, having written a 142-page novel at the age of 6 which was destroyed in a flood, according to a New York Times article.
She went on to study under Nobel laureate in Literature Toni Morrison who was the first black woman to win a Nobel prize and is best known for her works regarding the harsh racial disparities and injustices that occurred in the United States. Scott graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English from Princeton in 1992 and was described by Morrison in 2013 as “one of the best students I’ve ever had in my creative writing classes”.
According to the New York Times, Scott worked as a research assistant to Toni Morrison for the 1992 album Jazz and then worked at D.E. Shaw, a hedge fund in an administrative role. She met her future husband Jeff Bezos while working there.
The following year in 1993, Scott and Bezos married, left DE Shaw together, moved to Seattle and kickstarted Amazon in 1994; all these events happened in rapid succession and the rest as we know it, is history. MacKenzie Scott not only supported Jeff Bezos’s vision but also proved to be instrumental in Amazon’s rise. She was a key contributor in the early days of the company, working on business plans, the company’s name, accounts and order shipping. She also negotiated the company’s first freight contract. An active participant in the company’s activities till 1996, she then took a step back to focus on her literary ventures and family. Her and Bezos share 4 children from their marriage: 3 sons and 1 daughter.
Scott has published two novels under her name, her debut novel being The Testing of Luther Albright in 2005 and her second being Traps which was published in 2013. Her debut won her the American Book Award in 2006. Morrison, her former professor described the novel as, “a rarity: a sophisticated novel that breaks and swells the heart”.
MacKenzie Scott the philanthropist
Today, MacKenzie Scott has emerged as one of the few ultra-wealthy people in the world who actually wants to make a difference; her substantial monetary prowess allows her to bring about systemic change in the lives of ordinary people. In 2019, she signed the Giving Pledge, promising to give away most of her wealth to charity during her lifetime or in her will. The donation to 10,000 degrees is not the first major donation Scott has made and not the first one this year either. Her commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) is staunch despite the current political climate in the US and she proves it through the causes she supports.
Earlier this year, she donated $70 million to UNCF as part of a campaign to empower historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) as a measure to bridge the historical funding gaps between HBCUs and predominantly white universities. Her method of distributing her wealth is quick and efficient, taking an approach of speed, scale and minimal restrictions Fortune reported. Grants arrive speedily and are given without any strings attached and then the organizations deploy them as per the requirements. Till date, she has donated $19 billion to thousands of organizations with most of the funds being directed towards healthcare, affordable housing, child development, education and economic security of the underrepresented and dispossessed.
It is clear that Ms Scott desires to bring about positive social change and still believes in the collective good. Her efforts have possibly changed the lives of thousands of people in the United States and she shows no signs of stopping. Her giving plan will continue and the focus will be on high-performing grantees and social upliftment of the underprivileged.
