It has been six years since Mackenzie Scott and Amazon’s founder, Jeff Bezos, finalized their divorce. Since then, Scott has spent her time donating billions of dollars to over 2,000 nonprofits.

This year marks six years since the author and mother of four’s divorce was finalized in 2019, resulting in a settlement of around $36 billion.

Since then, she is currently number 68 on Forbes‘ list of billionaires, who has “revolutionized” philanthropy with her substantial, unrestricted donations, as highlighted in a three-year study by the Center for Effective Philanthropy published in February.

She has contributed over $19 billion to more than 2,000 organizations.

She also shared new details about managing her wealth, stating that she instructed her advisors to invest her funds in “mission-aligned ventures.” According to her, the majority of the grants she made in 2024 focused on enhancing economic security and creating opportunities.

“I’ve asked the investment team helping me manage the assets I’m working to give away to source funds and companies focused on for-profit solutions to these challenges,” the philanthropist wrote. This contrasts with “withdrawing funds from a bank account, or from a stock portfolio that increases the wealth and influence of leaders who already have it.”

Gabrielle Fitzgerald, founder and CEO of The Panorama Group, has studied Scott’s giving and supported nonprofits that received her donations. She noted a growing focus on poverty in her philanthropy.

“She is creating an amazing role model for philanthropists, although I don’t see very many that have followed her role modeling,” Fitzgerald stated. “But it really shows that it’s easy to give away a lot of money to good groups.”

Scott’s team typically advises that no additional support will follow a grant. So, it surprised Shaun Donovan, CEO of the affordable housing organization Enterprise Community Partners, when he received news of a second donation.

Donovan mentioned the value of Scott’s grants lies in their unrestricted nature, allowing nonprofits to use the funds as needed. Five years into her philanthropy, he noted that her impact is now visible across entire sectors.

“The scale of this giving has really not just changed individual organizations but changed entire fields like affordable housing,” he shared.

Scott’s approach to unrestricted giving reshapes philanthropy and drives meaningful change across sectors.