Jeff Bezos' ex has donated over $26 billion in ways that are 'rewriting philanthropy.'

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When Native Forward’s Angelique Albert first received an email with the subject line “Confidential,” she couldn’t believe it. MacKenzie Scott had just given her nonprofit $20 million—completely unsolicited. Three years later, another cryptic email arrived with an even bigger surprise: $50 million.

Since 2019, Scott, who is Jeff Bezos’s ex-wife, has given away over $26 billion to more than 2,450 organizations. While traditional donors demand detailed proposals and oversight, Scott simply writes checks and walks away. As one recipient put it: “She’s rewriting American philanthropy.”

Scott requires no application process, no pitch meetings, no strings attached. She conducts “quiet research” to identify nonprofits, then shocks them with grants ranging from $300,000 to $80 million. Recipients often ignore her emails at first, thinking they’re spam.

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