
The 12 months of 2025 added up to a headline year for billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. She donated more than $7 billion, bringing her total donations since 2020 to $26 billion and more than 2,700 gifts. This makes her one of the most generous philanthropists alongside fellow billionaires Bill Gates, Melinda French Gates, and Warren Buffett.
Scott, the ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, has a current net worth of about $40 billion, most of which she gained from her 2019 divorce from Bezos. Many of her 2025 donations went to causes focused on DEI, disaster recovery, and higher education. But one gift she made last year has sparked some debate.