MacKenzie Scott has emerged as the third-biggest philanthropist of all time after donating $26.4 billion in less than seven years, including a record $7.2 billion in 2025. Her lifetime giving has now surpassed the combined donations of Elon Musk, Larry Page and Jeff Bezos, according to reports.
Scott’s giving has been marked by large, unrestricted grants and relatively little fanfare. She has donated to more than 2,500 organisations, including at least $760 million to 18 historically Black colleges and universities. In 2025 alone, she gave $7.2 billion to about 225 organisations, making her the world’s biggest individual philanthropist that year.
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Her approach has often involved giving organisations the freedom to decide how to use the money. Howard University, for instance, learned about an $80 million grant from Scott’s Yield Giving only after the university was contacted by the organisation.
Scott received a large stake in Amazon from her former husband Jeff Bezos following their 2019 divorce and has since disposed of more than 75% of those shares. Her rapid pace of giving has made her one of the few major philanthropists to give away 40% or more of their fortune.
Warren Buffett remains the biggest philanthropist on the list, with $68.3 billion in lifetime giving, followed by Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates with $52.6 billion. Scott ranks third with $26.4 billion, ahead of Michael Bloomberg at $25.4 billion and George Soros at $24 billion.
The figures also highlight a broader shift in billionaire philanthropy. The 25 most generous American philanthropists have collectively donated $275 billion, equal to just 14% of their combined fortunes. Six of the top 25 are solo women, while another 11 are husband-and-wife or former husband-and-wife teams.
Scott's giving has also drawn attention because she was absent from the Chronicle of Philanthropy’s 2025 Philanthropy 50 ranking, which listed Michael Bloomberg as the biggest donor of the year with $4.3 billion. The Chronicle said Scott was excluded because her representatives did not confirm the exact amount she contributed to donor-advised funds.
The Chronicle said increasing secrecy among ultra-wealthy donors is making it harder to track billionaire philanthropy. Elon Musk, for example, disclosed a gift of about 210,000 shares worth nearly $100 million, but the donation could not be included because the recipients were not identified.
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