MacKenzie Scott’s $26 billion philanthropy journey, inspired by a college book, stands apart from Warren Buffett and Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates' approach to giving

MacKenzie Scott took a different path from Warren Buffett, Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates after becoming one of the world's wealthiest women. While the three billionaires helped create the Giving Pledge to encourage wealthy people to donate most of their fortunes, Scott developed her own approach to philanthropy, focused on giving money quickly and trusting organisations to decide how it should be used. Surprisingly, the idea behind her approach can be traced back to a passage she had underlined years earlier in a college book.

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How MacKenzie Scott became a billionaire philanthropist

Scott's financial situation changed dramatically after her 2019 divorce from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. As part of the settlement, she received about 4% of Amazon's outstanding shares, making her one of the wealthiest women in the world.


Soon after, MacKenzie Scott signed the Giving Pledge, the initiative started by Warren Buffett, Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates. The pledge encourages billionaires to donate most of their wealth to charitable causes during their lifetime or through their estates.

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However, Scott developed her own approach to giving. Rather than waiting for years to distribute her wealth through a traditional charitable foundation, she began directing billions of dollars to organisations across the US and other areas.

The college book that influenced MacKenzie Scott

The story behind Scott's giving philosophy goes back to her years as a student.

Before becoming known for philanthropy, Scott was a writer. She studied English and creative writing at Princeton University. Years later, while looking through books from her college days, she came across her old copy of The Writing Life by American author Annie Dillard.

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One passage she had marked as a student suddenly seemed relevant to her life and her growing fortune. Dillard wrote: "The impulse to save something good for a better place later is the signal to spend it now."

Scott saw a meaning in those words that went beyond writing. She viewed the passage as a reminder that valuable resources should be used when they can make a difference rather than simply being saved for an uncertain future.

In her 2019 Giving Pledge letter, Scott said she had "underlined and starred" the passage when she was a student. That old note eventually became connected to her approach to giving away her fortune.

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MacKenzie Scott has donated more than $26 billion

Through her philanthropic organisation Yield Giving, Scott has donated more than $26 billion since 2019. Her donations have reached thousands of organisations and supported causes including education, public health, economic mobility, racial equity, community development, women's organisations and disaster relief.

The scale and speed of her giving have made MacKenzie Scott one of the most closely watched philanthropists in the world.

Instead of holding on to her fortune for decades, she has moved billions of dollars to organisations during her lifetime. Her approach reflects the central idea she took from Dillard's words: resources can be most useful when they are put to work now.

Why MacKenzie Scott's philanthropy is different

One of the biggest differences between Scott's approach and traditional philanthropy is her focus on unrestricted grants.

Organisations receiving her money are often given significant freedom to decide how the funds should be used. Rather than requiring charities to spend every dollar on a specific project, Scott has often trusted nonprofit leaders to understand what their communities need most.

This approach has received support from many nonprofit leaders because flexible funding can allow organisations to respond quickly when their needs change.

Scott has also kept a relatively low public profile. She rarely makes her charitable work about herself, choosing instead to focus attention on the organisations receiving her donations.

Toni Morrison's influence on MacKenzie Scott

Scott's background as a writer also helps explain the importance of literature in her life.

At Princeton University, she studied under Nobel Prize-winning author Toni Morrison, who later served as her thesis adviser. Morrison also described Scott as one of the strongest students she had taught.

Scott eventually worked as Morrison's research assistant and went on to publish novels herself. Her debut novel, The Testing of Luther Albright, won an American Book Award. Her relationship with Morrison and her years as a writer help put the Annie Dillard passage into context.

MacKenzie Scott's support for education and HBCUs

Education has become one of the major areas of Scott's philanthropy. Her donations have supported colleges, universities and education programmes across the United States. Historically Black colleges and universities have been among the important beneficiaries of her giving, collectively receiving more than $1 billion.

Scott has also supported a project connected to her former mentor. In 2022, Howard University received a $3 million donation that helped establish the Toni Morrison Endowed Chair in Arts and Humanities.

Why MacKenzie Scott remains extremely wealthy

Even after giving away more than $26 billion, Scott remains one of the world's wealthiest women.

A major reason is the value of her remaining investments, particularly her Amazon holdings. As Amazon's share price rose over time, the value of her remaining shares helped offset a significant amount of the wealth she had donated.

MacKenzie Scott's story ultimately shows how an idea found in an old college book can influence decisions involving billions of dollars.