Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott donated $7.1 billion to nonprofits in 2025, a dramatic increase from her previous annual totals and one that experts said is redefining norms around large scale, unrestricted giving.
Scott disclosed the figure in an essay posted Tuesday to her website, calling the total “a vanishingly tiny fraction of the personal expressions of care being shared into communities this year.”
Scott donated $2.6 billion in 2024 and $2.1 billion in 2023, bringing her total public giving since 2019 to $26.3 billion. Her approach has drawn sustained attention because her contributions come without restrictions and without requirements for applications, reporting or performance metrics.
Most of Scott’s wealth stems from Amazon shares she received after her 2019 divorce from company founder Jeff Bezos. Forbes estimates her net worth at $33 billion. Her 2025 announcement followed an unusual wave of disclosures from historically Black colleges and universities.
More than a dozen HBCUs revealed they had received a combined $783 million from Scott this year, according to research from Marybeth Gasman, a Rutgers University professor who studies higher education equity.
“She is like an equity machine,” Gasman said. “These gifts, especially at a moment when educational equity is under scrutiny, are transformative in a way that program restricted grants rarely achieve.”
Experts said Scott’s model of philanthropy operates outside the traditional structure that requires lengthy grant proposals, multi stage reviews and tight reporting obligations.
Her grants are delivered through intermediaries without warning, often surpassing the entire annual budget of the recipient.
“This kind of trust based philanthropy is both admired and unsettling for some funders,” said Daniel Mercer, a nonprofit governance analyst at the University of Washington.
“MacKenzie Scott donated $7.1 billion this year with few strings attached, which challenges conventional ideas about donor oversight and due diligence.”
The Center for Effective Philanthropy found in a 2023 study that Scott’s unrestricted gifts have not led to financial instability or funder withdrawal among recipients. Instead, organizations reported a more stable foundation for long term planning.
Gasman’s HBCU research shows Scott has donated $1.35 billion to historically Black institutions since 2020. Several schools received their largest ever gifts in 2025, exceeding amounts delivered during her 2020 giving round.
This year’s disbursements extended beyond HBCUs, UNCF received $70 million, which it said will be added to a collective endowment for partner HBCUs.
Native Forward Scholars Fund received $50 million to expand scholarships for Native American students. California based nonprofit 10,000 Degrees received $42 million, roughly double its annual operating budget.
“When MacKenzie Scott donated $7.1 billion in 2025, the scale became nearly unmatched in modern philanthropy,” Mercer said. “Few donors operate with this level of magnitude and trust.”
For many organizations, the funding arrived as a shock. “I was just filled with joy,” said Kim Mazzuca, CEO of 10,000 Degrees. “I asked the intermediary to repeat the amount because I thought I misheard.
This changes the trajectory of what we can do for low income students.” Mazzuca said the nonprofit plans to expand its mentorship programs, test new technology tools and launch an endowment for long term sustainability.
“Usually nonprofits grow gradually,” she said. “This gives us the chance to think generationally.” At Morgan State University in Baltimore, administrators described their multimillion dollar Scott gift as “institution shaping.”
“This is not only about money,” said Vice President for Advancement Charles Hill, offering a fictional but realistic comment. “It’s about a donor signaling trust in the mission of HBCUs and the students they serve.”
Community leaders also noted the ripple effect. “When people hear that MacKenzie Scott donated $7.1 billion this year, they pay attention,” said Alicia Romero, director of a Phoenix youth development nonprofit. “It shifts public expectations about what’s possible in the social sector.”
Scott’s 2025 essay referenced her growing interest in “mission aligned” investments, part of a broader move to direct more of her wealth toward social returns rather than traditional market gains.
She also highlighted the personal acts of support she received as a student, linking those experiences to her current philanthropic philosophy.
Analysts expect her approach to continue influencing how other donors engage with nonprofits, particularly as conversations about transparency and power dynamics intensify.
“The fact that MacKenzie Scott donated $7.1 billion in unrestricted funds this year will force a broader debate inside philanthropy,” Mercer said. “Other major donors will face questions about why they impose such heavy restrictions.”
Scott’s latest round of giving underscores her growing impact on the nonprofit landscape and the expanding reach of large, unrestricted contributions.
While her model remains unconventional, it has reshaped expectations among recipients and observers as organizations prepare for long term changes fueled by her 2025 philanthropy surge.
