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MacKenzie Scott, former wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, has pared down her holdings in the e-commerce giant by nearly 42%, now owning shares valued at around $12.6 billion. The move, revealed in a recent SEC filing dated September 30, aligns with Scott’s ongoing commitment to large-scale philanthropy, particularly in the areas of diversity, equity, and inclusion. According to Bloomberg, Scott now holds about 81.1 million Amazon shares, a steep drop of 58 million shares from a year earlier. This comes despite Amazon’s stock having more than doubled in value since her 2019 divorce from Bezos. The filing, however, does not clarify whether her reduced stake came from direct sales, donations, or a mix of both. As per their divorce agreement, Bezos continues to retain voting rights over Scott’s Amazon shares and must report them annually. Scott’s estimated net worth now stands at roughly $32 billion. Since receiving around 4% of Amazon’s stock following the divorce, she has pledged to give away most of her fortune. Over the past five years, she has distributed about $19 billion to more than 2,000 nonprofit organizations, with a median gift size of around $5 million. Her donations have focused heavily on institutions promoting equity and access. One of her recent contributions includes a $42 million grant to 10,000 Degrees, a Bay Area non-profit helping low-income and primarily non-white students pursue higher education. According to Fortune, this followed a $70 million gift to historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) through the United Negro College Fund (UNCF), supporting a program launched in 2021 to strengthen financial stability for minority institutions. Scott’s giving has also touched a wide range of causes, from an $84 million contribution to the Girl Scouts and $20 million to Vermont’s Champlain Housing Trust, to $436 million for Habitat for Humanity and $275 million for Planned Parenthood. In 2020, she had earlier donated $10 million to the UNCF. Through her steady and sizable philanthropic efforts, Scott continues to redefine large-scale giving, channelling her Amazon wealth into initiatives aimed at creating long-term social impact.
