Yield Giving

Yield Giving
Founded
  • July 2020 (first grants)
  • December 2022 (foundation)
FounderMacKenzie Scott
TypePhilanthropic foundation
Websiteyieldgiving.com Edit this at Wikidata

Yield Giving is an American foundation which is the primary philanthropic vehicle for MacKenzie Scott, the former wife of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. The organization's name is based on her philosophy of adding value in her philanthropy by giving up control to local organizations (localization).

The website was launched in December 2022. At the time, Scott had already donated approximately $14 billion to around 1,600 organizations with $1 billion directed outside the United States after her 2019 divorce from Bezos.

As of the end of 2025, Scott has given away $26.3 billion.

Scott's donations

Prior to launching the Yield Giving website, Scott announced that she had donated $1.7 billion to 116 non-profit organizations, with a focus on racial equality, LGBTQ+ equality, democracy, and climate change in a July 2020 Medium post.

In December 2020, less than six months later, Scott stated that she had donated a further $4.15 billion in the previous four months to 384 organizations, with a focus on providing support to people economically impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and addressing long-term systemic inequities. She said that after July, she wanted her advisory team to give her wealth away faster as the United States struggled with the unprecedented impact of COVID-19 while billionaires' wealth continued to climb. Her team's focus was on "identifying organizations with strong leadership teams and results, with special attention to those operating in communities facing high projected food insecurity, high measures of racial inequity, high local poverty rates, and low access to philanthropic capital." Scott's 2020 charitable giving totaled $5.8 billion, one of the largest annual distributions by a private individual to working charities.

Scott announced another $2.7 billion in giving to 286 organizations in June 2021. Forbes reported that Scott donated $8.5 billion across 780 organizations in one year (July 2020 to July 2021). In June 2021, Scott and Melinda French Gates launched the Equality Can't Wait Challenge, a contest to promote gender equality and expanding women's power and influence in the United States by 2030. The four winners received $10 million each, and an additional $8 million was split between the two finalists. In February 2022, nine organizations announced gifts from Scott totaling $264.5 million. The Association for Women's Rights in Development received a $15 million donation. On March 23, 2022, more gifts were announced, including $436 million to Habitat for Humanity and $275 million to Planned Parenthood. In May 2022, the Big Brothers, Big Sisters foundation reported a $122.6 million donation from Scott. Scott has also made donations to organizations in Kenya, India, Brazil, Micronesia, and Latin America. In April 2022, The New York Times reported that Scott's donations since 2019 have exceeded $12 billion. In September 2022, Scott donated two of her Beverly Hills homes, worth a combined $55 million, to the California Community Foundation (CCF), which provides grants to mission-based nonprofits in Los Angeles. The organization intended to sell both homes and use 90% of the earnings to fund affordable housing initiatives and direct the other 10% to an immigrant integration program. In October 2022, Scott donated $84.5 million to Girl Scouts of the USA and its 29 local councils. This was the largest donation from an individual in the organization's history. As of November 2022, Scott had donated almost $14 billion to 1500 organizations.

In March 2023, Scott announced Yield Giving would launch an "open call" for community-focused nonprofits with annual budgets between $1 and $5 million that she could fund. Scott planned to make unrestricted $1 million donations to 250 nonprofits selected in the process. Lever for Change announced that Scott's open call for grants prompted 6,000 applicants. Scott donated nearly $2.2 billion in 2023 to 360 organizations supporting early learning, access to affordable housing, race and gender equity, health equity, and civic and social engagement. As of December 2023, Scott had donated more than $16 billion to non-profit organizations. On March 19, 2024, Yield Giving announced another $640 million donated to 361 small nonprofits, more than double what the original open call planned for. 279 organizations received $2 million each while 82 were given $1 million each. In March 2024, Scott's donations had reached $17.2 billion. In December, she announced another $2 billion in donations in a blog on the Yield Giving website.

In December 2024, Scott announced that she began to direct her advisors to invest her wealth in for-profit companies and funds seeking solutions to societal challenges. She stated, "When I make gifts, rather than withdrawing funds from a bank account, or from a stock portfolio that increases the wealth and influence of leaders who already have it, I'd like to withdraw them from a portfolio of investments in mission-aligned ventures."

In 2025, Scott donated $45 million to U.S.-based The Trevor Project, the world's largest LGBTQ suicide prevention nonprofit, the largest single sum donation in the Trevor Project's history.

Support for higher education

Her initial July 2020 list of donations included over $800 million for historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving institutions, tribal colleges and universities, and other colleges.

According to official announcements from HBCUs and the UNCF, Scott has donated about $1.06 billion to support HBCUs between 2020 and 2025. From October 2025 to November 2025, Scott donated $739 million to 16 HBCUs, including Bowie State, Clark Atlanta, Norfolk State, North Carolina A&T, Prairie View A&M, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Voorhees University, Winston-Salem State, and Xavier University of Louisiana. The awards ranged from $19 million for Philander Smith University to $80 million for Howard University.

On December 4, 2025, California State University, East Bay announced that they have received a $50 million gift from Scott, which is the largest philanthropic donation in school history. The gift is set to accelerate student success and economic impact in the San Francisco Bay Area. On the same day, Lehman College in the Bronx announced that they had received a gift of $50 million from Scott, the largest philanthropic gift in the history of the college, which was founded in 1968 and is part of the City University of New York. Scott previously gave $30 million to Lehman College in 2020. The gift will create a permanent resource for scholarships, student programs, and academic excellence. Scott confirmed that she donated a total of $7.1 billion to nonprofits in 2025, with over $1 billion of that given to higher education.

In Chicago, she also donated to the University of Illinois Chicago ($40 million), United Way of Chicago $25 million, Chicago Public Schools ($25 million), OneGoal ($20 million), and One Million Degrees.

Reception

Forbes reported, "the unrestricted and ultimately more trusting nature of Scott's philanthropy is the exception, not the norm in their world." The New York Times noted that "Ms. Scott has turned traditional philanthropy on its head... by disbursing her money quickly and without much hoopla, Ms. Scott has pushed the focus away from the giver, and onto the nonprofits, she is trying to help." Scott stated she believed "teams with experience on the front lines of challenges will know best how to put the money to good use." According to a report from the Center for Effective Philanthropy, slightly more than half of the 277 nonprofit organizations surveyed stated that their grant from Scott has made fundraising easier, with some saying they are able to use it as leverage with other donors and the large gift "has enabled organizations to focus funds where they were most needed to achieve their mission." According to Senior Vice President of the Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Renee Karibi-Whyte, competitions like Scott's open call can help organizations who do not have connections with a specific funder get considered.

References

  1. ↑ "MacKenzie Scott's Yield Giving awards $640 million for open call". Philanthropy News Digest (PND). Retrieved September 21, 2024.
  2. ↑ "Scott's Yield Giving Competition Awards $640 million". The NonProfit Times. Retrieved September 21, 2024.
  3. 1 2 "MacKenzie Scott Is Funding to Empower People Globally. Here's What We Know About Her Priorities". Inside Philanthropy. January 5, 2023. Retrieved September 21, 2024.
  4. ↑ Jr, Tom Huddleston (December 13, 2025). "MacKenzie Scott announced another $7.1 billion in 2025 charitable donations—she's now given away $26.3 billion since 2019". CNBC. Archived from the original on May 12, 2026. Retrieved May 14, 2026.
  5. ↑ Scott, MacKenzie (July 28, 2020). "116 Organizations Driving Change". Medium. Archived from the original on July 31, 2022. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  6. ↑ Iyengar, Rishi (July 28, 2020). "MacKenzie Scott, formerly Bezos, says she has given away $1.7 billion of her wealth so far". CNN Business. Archived from the original on July 31, 2022. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  7. ↑ Kulish, Nicholas (December 16, 2020). "MacKenzie Scott Announces $4.2 Billion More in Charitable Giving". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on December 16, 2020. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  8. 1 2 Scott, MacKenzie (December 15, 2020). "384 Ways to Help". Medium. Archived from the original on July 31, 2022. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  9. ↑ Dolan, Kerry A. "Mackenzie (Bezos) Scott Announces She's Donated $4.1 Billion To 384 Groups In Recent Months". Forbes. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  10. ↑ "MacKenzie Scott Gives Away $4.2 Billion in Four Months". Bloomberg News. December 15, 2020. Archived from the original on July 16, 2023. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  11. ↑ Helmore, Edward (June 15, 2021). "Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott gives away $2.7bn to hundreds of charities". The Guardian. Archived from the original on July 31, 2022.
  12. 1 2 Voytko-Best, Lisette (July 7, 2021). "Inside MacKenzie Scott's 'No Strings Attached' Philanthropy: 'I Was In Tears'". Forbes. Archived from the original on July 31, 2022. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
  13. 1 2 Avi-Yonah, Shera (July 29, 2021). "MacKenzie Scott, Melinda French Gates Give $40 Million to Gender Equality Groups". Bloomberg News. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
  14. ↑ McGrath, Maggie (July 29, 2021). "Melinda French Gates And MacKenzie Scott Award $40 Million To The Winners Of The Equality Can't Wait Challenge". Forbes. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
  15. ↑ Sandler, Rachel (February 12, 2021). "Here's Who MacKenzie Scott Donated To So Far In February". Forbes. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
  16. ↑ Salas, Margarita; Duque, Astrid (October 2, 2023). "AWID 2022 Annual Report" (PDF). With contributions from all AWID staff. The Association for Women’s Rights in Development. p. 24. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 18, 2024. Retrieved July 17, 2024.
  17. ↑ "Habitat for Humanity International and 84 U.S. Habitat affiliates receive transformational $436M gift from MacKenzie Scott". Habitat for Humanity. Archived from the original on July 31, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  18. ↑ Franklin, Jonathan (March 23, 2022). "MacKenzie Scott makes a record $275 million donation to Planned Parenthood". NPR. Archived from the original on July 31, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  19. ↑ Scott, MacKenzie (March 23, 2022). "Helping Any of Us Can Help Us All". Medium. Archived from the original on July 31, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  20. ↑ "Big Brothers Big Sisters on Path to Transform Mentorship in America with $122.6 Million Donation from MacKenzie Scott" (Press release). Big Brothers, Big Sisters. May 24, 2022. Archived from the original on July 31, 2022. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  21. ↑ Marques, Felipe (April 5, 2022). "MacKenzie Scott Is Expanding Her $12.4 Billion Giving Spree Globally". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on April 30, 2022. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
  22. ↑ Kulish, Nicholas; Ruiz, Rebecca R. (April 10, 2022). "The Fortunes of MacKenzie Scott". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 2, 2022. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
  23. ↑ Sauer, Megan (September 13, 2022). "Billionaire MacKenzie Scott just donated two Beverly Hills mansions worth $55 million to fund affordable housing in LA". CNBC. Archived from the original on September 15, 2022. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
  24. ↑ "Girl Scouts Receives $84.5 Million Donation from MacKenzie Scott" (Press release). Girl Scout of the USA. October 18, 2022. Archived from the original on December 23, 2022. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
  25. 1 2 Maruf, Ramishah (November 15, 2022). "MacKenzie Scott announces another $2 billion in donations". CNN Business. Archived from the original on December 23, 2022. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
  26. 1 2 3 Beaty, Thalia (March 21, 2024). "MacKenzie Scott donates $640 million, more than doubling her planned gifts to nonprofit applicants". The Associated Press. Archived from the original on March 21, 2024. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  27. ↑ Gamboa, Glenn (March 21, 2023). "MacKenzie Scott sets new 'open call' to donate $250 million". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  28. ↑ Beaty, Thalia (July 19, 2023). "Billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott sets off a frenzy for $1 million grants as over 6,000 applicants pour in for 250 slots". Fortune. The Associated Press. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
  29. ↑ Liu, Phoebe (December 8, 2023). "MacKenzie Scott Has Donated $2.2 Billion To Charity This Year". Forbes. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
  30. ↑ Beaty, Thalia (December 7, 2023). "Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott reveals the groups that got some of her $2.1 billion in gifts in 2023". Associated Press. Archived from the original on January 16, 2024. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  31. 1 2 Halpert, Madeline (March 21, 2024). "MacKenzie Scott donates $640m to US non-profits". BBC News. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  32. ↑ Maruf, Ramishah (March 19, 2024). "MacKenzie Scott donates $640 million after open call for nonprofits". CNN Business. Archived from the original on March 21, 2024. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  33. ↑ Gavin, William (March 20, 2024). "Amazon co-founder MacKenzie Scott doubles her charitable donations after Elon Musk's criticism". Quartz. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  34. ↑ "What is next for billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott's giving?". AP News. April 4, 2024. Archived from the original on September 21, 2024. Retrieved September 21, 2024.
  35. ↑ "Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott reveals another $2 billion in donations in 2024". AP News. December 18, 2024. Archived from the original on December 30, 2024. Retrieved December 30, 2024.
  36. ↑ Lindsay, Drew (December 18, 2024). "MacKenzie Scott Reports $2 Billion in Gifts, Signals Changes in Her Philanthropy". The Chronicle of Philanthropy. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
  37. ↑ Scott, MacKenzie (December 18, 2024). "Investing". Yield Giving. Archived from the original on March 22, 2025. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
  38. ↑ Ali-Ahmad, Ayah (January 13, 2026). "MacKenzie Scott Donates $45 Million to The Trevor Project, Amid Trump Funding Cuts". KQED-FM. Archived from the original on January 15, 2026.
  39. ↑ "'Transformational': MacKenzie Scott's gifts to HBCUs, other colleges surpass $800 million". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on July 31, 2022.
  40. ↑ "The historic MacKenzie Scott gifts to historically Black colleges and others: Which schools got how much". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on July 31, 2022.
  41. ↑ "Billionaire MacKenzie Scott Donates $1.06 Billion to Support HBCUs". Stay Inspired News. November 4, 2025. Retrieved November 5, 2025.
  42. ↑ "Transformative $70 Million Gift Supports UNCF's $1 Billion Capital Campaign". UNCF. September 25, 2025. Archived from the original on November 5, 2025. Retrieved November 5, 2025.
  43. ↑ Candid (November 21, 2025). MacKenzie Scott awards $428 million in unrestricted grants to 10 HBCUs. Archived February 9, 2026, at the Wayback Machine Philanthropy News Digest.
  44. ↑ Mokam First Bernard (November 17, 2025). "MacKenzie Scott Gives $700 Million to Historically Black Colleges". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 20, 2025. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
  45. ↑ Hawkins, Kimberly (December 4, 2025). "Cal State East Bay Receives Historic $50 Million Gift from Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott" (Press release). California State University, East Bay. Archived from the original on December 5, 2025. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
  46. ↑ "Historic $50 Million Gift Propels Lehman College Into a New Era" (Press release). Lehman College News. Archived from the original on December 10, 2025. Retrieved December 6, 2025.
  47. ↑ "Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott Gifts $30 Million to Lehman College". Lehman College News.
  48. ↑ Nietzel, Michael T. (December 5, 2025). "MacKenzie Scott's Higher Ed Philanthropy Tops $1 Billion For The Year". Forbes. Archived from the original on December 5, 2025.
  49. ↑ "MacKenzie Scott reveals her Chicago donation spree". www.chicagobusiness.com. Archived from the original on May 18, 2026. Retrieved May 14, 2026.
  50. ↑ "OneGoal Receives Historic Gift from Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott". OneGoal. Retrieved May 14, 2026.
  51. ↑ Kulish, Nicholas (December 20, 2020). "Giving Billions Fast, MacKenzie Scott Upends Philanthropy". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 31, 2022.
  52. ↑ Scott, MacKenzie (June 16, 2021). "Seeding by Ceding". Medium. Archived from the original on July 31, 2022. Retrieved November 15, 2021.