MacKenzie Scott is making a name for herself in the philanthropy space again. The 55-year-old ex-wife of Jeff Bezos just donated another $80 million to Howard University. MacKenzie's donation to the historically Black college is one of the largest single donations in its 158-year history. The $80 million donation is unrestricted which means the university can do with it what it chooses. Howard's interim president, Wayne Frederick, said in a statement: "This historic investment will not only help maintain our current momentum, but will help support essential student aid."
MacKenzie is worth an estimated $36.2 billion. She and Jeff divorced in 2019 after 25 years of marriage. The former couple met in 1993 while working at D.E. Shaw in New York City. A year after they met, the two moved to Seattle where Jeff founded Amazon. When MacKenzie and Jeff divorced, he was worth anywhere from $137 to $150 billion.
In their divorce settlement, MacKenzie received a 4% state in Amazon amounting to some $38 billion. While it has never been publicly confirmed, it is widely speculated that when the former couple married, they did not sign a prenup, meaning that all assets and debts accrued during the marriage were considered owned equally by both spouses.
In the six years since their divorce, MacKenzie has given away more than $19 billion. In 2019, she signed onto the Giving Pledge, promising to give away at least half of her wealth throughout her lifetime. MacKenzie penned: "My approach to philanthropy will continue to be thoughtful. It will take time and effort and care. But I won’t wait. And I will keep at it until the safe is empty."
© Getty ImagesMacKenzie donates to many types of organizations, from HBCUs like Howard University and Spelman, to women's organizations like Planned Parenthood. Last year, the philanthropist gave away $2 billion to 199 organizations, focusing primarily on economic security, housing affordability, child development, postsecondary education, and health care. Her donations impact organizations quickly and profoundly.
© Getty ImagesUnlike many philanthropists who require reporting and other restrictions, MacKenzie lets the organizations she donates to decide what to do with the money. On Yield Giving, MacKenzie's philanthropic website, she writes: "[We] reach out to selected organizations to tell them we admire what they are doing and would like to give them an immediate gift for use however they choose."
Outside of philanthropy, MacKenzie is also a published novelist. She is the author of The Testing of Luther Albright and Traps. MacKenzie studied under Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrison at Princeton University and even worked as a research assistant for her. The philanthropist married Seattle-based science teacher Dan Jewett in 2021. But the couple divorced a year later.
© GettyMacKenzie and Jeff are co-parents to four children. The former couple only shared their oldest child's name publicly. Preston was born in 2000, and their other children – two sons and one daughter – names are unknown.
