MacKenzie Scott has turned a fortune that came from her 2019 divorce from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos into one of the fastest-moving philanthropic campaigns in the world. According to Forbes, Scott has given away $26.4 billion in less than seven years, including an estimated $7.2 billion in 2025 alone. Forbes says that made 2025 the largest single-year total donated by any individual since it began tracking charitable giving in 2012.
Her approach has now earned her a place on the 2026 Forbes Iconoclast 50, a list recognizing influential figures in business, finance, technology, media, entertainment and philanthropy who are challenging conventional thinking.
MacKenzie Scott has given away more than 75% of her Amazon shares
Scott received a 4% stake in Amazon as part of her divorce settlement with Bezos in 2019. Rather than holding onto the fortune indefinitely, she began giving large portions of it away.
Forbes says Scott has now disposed of more than 75% of the Amazon shares she received and has donated $26.4 billion to more than 2,500 organizations. She also signed the Giving Pledge in 2019, committing to give away at least half of her wealth during her lifetime.
Her fortune remains enormous. Forbes' 2026 Iconoclast profile puts her net worth at about $33.1 billion, although Forbes' separate real-time profile has since placed it somewhat lower at about $32.6 billion.
Her philanthropy is reaching historically Black colleges
One of the biggest themes in Scott's recent giving has been support for historically Black colleges and universities, or HBCUs.
