How did MacKenzie Scott spend $2 billion in grants in 2024?

No strings attached. While unrestricted funding isn’t an entirely new concept, no one has done so on such a scale as MacKenzie Scott. Just a couple of months before her divorce from tech mogul Jeff Bezos, Scott signed the Giving Pledge and vowed to donate most of her wealth to charitable causes. The size of her giving is already record-breaking on its own. However, what really makes Scott’s philanthropy rather revolutionary is her approach. Typically, grantees adhere to a long list of rules and regulations set by funding agencies — from grant applications to post-implementation reviews. This long-standing setup persists for good reasons, not least to promote transparency and accountability. However, the rigid process often makes it difficult for smaller organizations with limited resources to comply. Enter Scott. Unlike other private donors, Scott does not release formal grant notices. Instead, her team and advisers actively search for organizations working in areas aligned with her values. They then reach out to these organizations and give them grants, which they are free to use however they see fit. Based on her website, Yield Giving, Scott has given over $19 billion to more than 2,450 nonprofits since she started her philanthropic works. On Dec. 18, her team uploaded information on the grants made to 199 organizations, with a total disbursement of $2 billion. Almost all were given in 2024, with just two awarded in 2023. We dug into the data to see where exactly funding has landed. What do the overall figures say? Of the 199 grantees included in the latest update, 147 provided complete information, including the grant amount. Together, they received a little over $1.3 billion, or an average of about $9 million per recipient. The remaining 52 grantees have not disclosed how much they received, but based on the total sum Scott mentioned on her blog, they should be getting close to $700 million. We also identified 37 repeat grantees. Two received their third grant from Scott: Undue Medical Debt, formerly RIP Medical Debt, which received $30 million in 2020 and 2022, and CAMFED, which received $25 million in 2020 and $20 million in 2023. According to some organizations that previously received grants from Scott, her team informed them not to expect any additional funding, so receiving another round of financial support came as a surprise. US-based grantees still got the largest share Based on our analysis of the data, Scott’s philanthropic giving is still largely U.S.-centric. Of the 199 grantees, 165 organizations work exclusively in the U.S., with 129 receiving over $1.2 billion — or 93% of the total grants to awardees with complete information. The other 36 grantees did not disclose their grant amounts. Among those with complete details, five organizations received $50 million or more: • $65 million to Enterprise Community Partners, which focuses primarily on addressing the shortage of affordable rental homes in the U.S. • $65 million to Local Initiatives Support Corporation, which was founded by the Ford Foundation in 1979 to serve as an intermediary between donors and local communities and organizations. • $60 million to Self-Help Ventures Fund, which provides a range of financial services to small businesses and nonprofits, with a particular focus on those that support people who are marginalized. • $50 million to Grameen America, a microfinance institution that provides loans and financial education to women-owned small businesses. • $50 million to Undue Medical Debt, which is among the leading nonprofits addressing the issue of medical debt in the U.S. Sectorally, housing, employment, and equality are still among the main focus areas of U.S.-based grantees. However, since most recipients reported multiple focus areas and grants are unrestricted, it’s difficult to say exactly how much went to each sector. Grants outside the US Scott also provided financial support to several organizations working in other countries, including those with regional or global reach and some with a U.S. presence. Of the 34 recipients, 18 provided complete details, with their cumulative grants amounting to $94.1 million. Six grantees work in Brazil, with a total grant of $48 million. Nine grantees are based in India — two received a total of $9 million while seven didn’t disclose how much they received. Three grantees are in Colombia, two of which received $5 million in total while the other one didn’t disclose the amount they got, and two organizations in Burundi and Argentina received $2 million each. Ten grantees have either global reach or are working in multiple countries. Four of them provided complete financial details, with their total grants totaling $25.6 million. Lastly, four grantees work in sub-Saharan Africa, with two organizations receiving $1.5 million in total. Sectorally, most of the grantees also work in similar areas as their U.S. counterparts, with some also focusing on climate, the environment, and natural resources. MapBiomas, an initiative that tracks and maps changes in Brazil’s land areas, received the biggest grant among non-U.S. organizations, worth $30 million. The other top recipients in other countries were: • $15 million to GRID Alternatives, which focuses on promoting and providing clean and renewable energy in the U.S., Nepal, Nicaragua, and Mexico. • $8 million to Plan International Brazil, which campaigns for the rights and welfare of children. • $8 million to The Association of People with Disability, which promotes inclusivity for people with disabilities in India. • $6 million to Amigos do Bem, a multisectoral organization working in the areas of education, health, housing, job opportunities, and water. • $5 million to Women Enabled International, which promotes the rights of women and girls with disabilities across the world. Still a long way to go Despite her record-breaking giving, Scott remains one of the world’s richest individuals, with her wealth valued at nearly $32 billion as of publication. This is good news for the development community, as she has vowed more than four years ago that her mission in the coming years will be to give this wealth back to society. While her philanthropy has arguably made a lasting impact in many small organizations in the U.S., much could still be done elsewhere. The latest data shows that Scott continues to favor U.S.-based recipients, increasing their share of the total to 93%, compared to the 84% U.S.-based grantees received based on our 2023 and 2024 analyses. Does this mean that the rest of her money will be used on U.S. soil? Maybe. But Scott also has a history of listening to critics. When she was asked to be more transparent, she launched her website Yield Giving. When she was encouraged to introduce an open call, she did so and announced the result in March 2024. Perhaps, repeatedly asking her to consider increasing funding support for grantees based in low- and middle-income countries that are already making significant impacts despite limited resources could eventually yield results. Try out Devex Pro Funding today with a free five-day trial, and explore funding opportunities from over 850 sources in addition to our analysis and news content.