Billionaire philanthropist and ex-wife of Jeff Bezos, MacKenzie Scott, has donated more than $19 billion since 2020 as she continues to recover her stake in Amazon, which she acquired as part of her divorce from the e-commerce giant’s founder, Forbes reported on Friday, November 7, 2025.
The report also highlighted that in total, MacKenzie Scott has donated $19.25 billion to thousands of organizations that focus their efforts on DEI, education, disaster recovery, among others.
MacKenzie Scott’s stake in Amazon?
According to media reports, when MacKenzie Scott and Jeff Bezos announced their divorce in 2019, Scott received a nearly 4% stake in Amazon, as she played a key role in the e-commerce giant’s founding and early operations. At the time, this stake amounted to nearly 139 million shares of the company.
As of 2019, Scott has sold 42% of her stake and donated the value of nearly 58 million shares worth around $12.6 billion by 2025. According to data compiled from Forbes Rich List, MacKenzie Scott’s net worth was $35.6 billion as of November 8, 2025.
Scott donated $19.25 billion through her philanthropic venture called Yield Giving, which was established in 2022. According to a news portal report, the philanthropist continues to sell her stake in Amazon as her wealth continues to grow over time.
Shares of Amazon closed up 0.56% at $244.41 in after-hours trading on Friday, according to data compiled by MarketWatch. The company’s market capitalization (M-Cap) was $2.61 trillion at the close of Wall Street this week.
Over the past five years, Amazon shares have returned US investors more than 47% on their investments, and are trading 17% higher on Wall Street over the past year.
Where did MacKenzie Scott contribute?
According to a news portal report, MacKenzie Scott has donated hundreds of millions of dollars in 2025 to her DEI, education and disaster recovery efforts, among other things.
Through her venture, Scott donated $80 million to Howard University, $50 million to Virginia State University, $42 million to Alcorn State University, $38 million to Spelman College, $70 million to the United Negro College Fund (UNCF), $40 million to the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, and $60 million to the Center for Disaster Philanthropy.
The report also emphasized that the donations are unrestricted, meaning that the recipient organizations will be able to choose how to use the funds allocated by the billionaire philanthropist.
