MacKenzie Scott is many things: author, former student of Toni Morrison, ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, instrumental part of the retail giant’s early years and, now, prolific philanthropist.
Scott’s net worth is more than $33 billion as of September, according to Forbes. But she believes personal wealth is “the product of a collective effort and of social structures, which present opportunities to some people and obstacles to countless others,” she wrote in 2020 .
It was this belief that propelled her in 2019, the same year she finalized her divorce from Bezos, to pledge to give away at least half her wealth in her lifetime or in her will.
Since then, Scott has given at least $17.3 billion in unrestricted and often unsolicited donations to nonprofits across the globe. Hundreds of millions have gone to more than 55 organizations in Georgia, according to Yield Giving , a database of her donations.
Her most recent known gift in the state, $10 million to Georgia-based community lender Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs, was the nonprofit’s largest donation in its history.