Yield Giving is an American foundation which is the primary philanthropic vehicle for MacKenzie Scott, the former wife of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos.[1] The organization's name is based on her philosophy of adding value in her philanthropy by giving up control to local organizations (localization).[2]
The website was launched in December 2022.[3] At the time, Scott had already donated approximately $14 billion to around 1,600 with $1 billion of the funds directed outside the United States after her 2019 divorce.[3]
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.[4] Scott planned to make unrestricted $1 million donations to 250 nonprofits selected in the process.[5] Lever for Change announced that Scott's open call for grants prompted 6,000 applicants.[6] 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.[7] As of December 2023, Scott had donated more than $16 billion to non-profit organizations.[8] 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.[9] 279 organizations received $2 million each while 82 were given $1 million each.[9][10] In March 2024, Scott's donations had reached $17.2 billion.[11][12] In December, she announced another $2 billion in donations in a blog on the Yield Giving website.[13]
