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Scott has donated $17.3 billion to nonprofits, placing her among America’s top philanthropists while selling $37 billion in shares.
MacKenzie Scott donates $17.3 billion, selling two-thirds of Amazon stock acquired in her divorce. (IMAGE: X/@mackenziescott)
Billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott has sold another 11% of her Amazon shares, according to a new filing from Friday accessed by the Forbes magazine. As of September 30, the shares were valued at over $8 billion. This latest sale brings her total Amazon stock sold or donated to 255 million shares, amounting to roughly $37 billion at the time of the transactions.
MacKenzie Scott, former spouse of Amazon’s founder Jeff Bezos, acquired around 400 million Amazon shares during their 2019 divorce. In under six years, she has sold off roughly two-thirds of those shares. To date, she has donated over $17.3 billion to various nonprofit organizations, placing her among the top five most generous living philanthropists in the United States, according to Forbes.
Forbes currently values MacKenzie Scott at $30 billion, a drop from $38 billion just days ago and significantly lower than her $59 billion peak in 2021. This estimate assumes that most of her Amazon stock sales have been directed into charitable funds or organizations. Had she retained all her shares, her net worth would stand at $82 billion, positioning her among the world’s top 20 wealthiest individuals and the second-richest woman.
MacKenzie Scott has largely stayed silent about her philanthropy, sharing insights only through brief essays on her Yield Giving website, where she documents her donations. In her December 2022 essay, she acknowledged the help of others in gathering information about grants: “If more information about these gifts can be helpful to anyone, I want to share it.” Recent recipients of her generosity include the Mni Sota Fund, which received $1.5 million, Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs with $10 million, and Coastal Enterprises, which got $15 million in October—marking a rare second donation from Scott.
Scott has consistently highlighted her preference for focusing on the nonprofits rather than herself. To honour this, she allows each organisation the discretion to announce the donation or keep it private, based on their assessment of whether public attention would be beneficial.
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Washington D.C., United States of America (USA)