Jeff Bezos’ ex-wife MacKenzie Scott donates $20 million to US youth mental health nonprofit

MacKenzie Scott, the former wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, has donated $20 million to Active Minds, a US-based nonprofit that works to improve mental health among young people. The organisation said this is the largest single donation in its history and will help expand its work across the country.

According to a statement by Active Minds, the gift is unrestricted, allowing the nonprofit to use the funds where they are needed most. The organisation said the money will support its efforts to build mental health programmes, strengthen partnerships with schools and communities and train more young leaders to advocate for mental health.

“This is a defining moment for Active Minds and for youth mental health in this country,” said Alison Malmon, Founder & Executive Director at Active Minds. In a statement, Active Minds said that the funding will help the organisation reach more young people and respond to growing mental health needs.


Active Minds is a nonprofit focused on changing the culture around mental health among youth and young adults. It works with schools, colleges and communities to encourage open conversations about mental health, reduce stigma and improve access to support.

According to Fortune magazine, Scott has become one of the world’s most prominent philanthropists since her divorce from Bezos in 2019 and has donated billions of dollars to nonprofits working in the education, healthcare, housing, racial equity, community development and social services domains.

The donation comes as youth mental health remains a growing concern in the US. According to Fortune, citing 2023 data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one in five (20%) American high school students had seriously considered attempting suicide, while 16% had made a suicide plan. The publication also reported that 20% of adolescents aged 12 to 17 experienced anxiety and 18% reported symptoms of depression in 2023.