We may not have Mackenzie Scott’s megawealth, and emulating her level of philanthropy might seem out of reach. Yet, it’s the manner of her giving that’s noteworthy. Over five years, Scott has generously donated nearly $15 billion to almost 2,000 organizations. A study by Matthew Lee, Brian Trelstad, and Ethan Tran from Harvard Business School reveals a strategic pattern in this unparalleled philanthropy.
After receiving Amazon shares worth $38 billion in her 2019 divorce settlement, Scott’s extensive charity has shown discernible trends. The team’s analysis, using data from the Yield Giving website and US Internal Revenue Service tax filings, outlines Scott’s giving to 1,964 recipients. Between 2020 and 2022, her focus was on youth, philanthropy, and housing nonprofits, with over $1.5 billion going to educational institutions and nonprofits, particularly historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and Hispanic-serving institutions.
At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, she donated substantial sums to organizations aiding vulnerable groups, such as Meals on Wheels, Easterseals, the YMCA, and the YWCA. In 2023, Scott and her team pivoted their philanthropic focus to health care, choosing organizations with no affiliations. The study clearly shows her funding priorities shifting from education to healthcare in 2023.
During this period, her donations significantly bolstered rural states like Alaska and Nebraska, as well as lower-income states such as Georgia and New Mexico. To summarize, this year she allocated substantial amounts to Health Care ($278 million), Housing ($162 million), and Human Services ($136 million). In 2022, her contributions were remarkable: $932 million to education, $253 million to human services, and $237 million to the arts. Education was also a top priority in 2020, receiving a generous $742 million, while philanthropy and human services were allocated $585 million and $567 million, respectively. Beyond patterns and strategies, Scott, the ex-wife of Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, is setting a new philanthropic standard for billionaires with her substantial and quiet giving.
