MacKenzie Scott has officially landed on TIME’s list of the world’s 100 most influential philanthropists, recognition that arrives after years of record-setting donations to colleges, nonprofits, tribal institutions, climate groups, and community organizations across the globe.
In a profile published May 14, TIME highlighted Scott’s unconventional approach to giving, describing her donations as transformative precisely because they arrive with few restrictions and almost no public fanfare. Since 2019, Scott has donated roughly $26 billion, with billions more still expected to be distributed in the years ahead.
“Receiving money from MacKenzie Scott is like winning the lottery,” TIME editor-at-large Belinda Luscombe wrote, noting that many organizations never apply for funding before unexpectedly learning they’ve been selected.
Unlike many major philanthropists, Scott does not require schools or nonprofits to name buildings after her, provide public recognition, or file extensive reports after receiving grants. Her giving model has instead focused on unrestricted funding, allowing institutions to decide how to use the funds. Community colleges, HBCUs, tribal colleges, and organizations serving historically underfunded communities have become major beneficiaries.
That strategy has dramatically reshaped higher education over the last two years. Scott’s donations to historically Black colleges and universities alone have now surpassed $1 billion.
Scott has also expanded her giving to tribal colleges and Native-serving organizations. Schools such as Red Lake Nation College, Bay Mills Community College, Nebraska Indian Community College, Little Priest Tribal College, Salish Kootenai College, and Oglala Lakota College have all received support.
In many cases, the gifts represented the largest donations in school history and were directed toward endowments, student services, and long-term institutional stability.
Her philanthropy has reached beyond education as well. Meals on Wheels America recently announced a $70 million unrestricted gift from Scott at a time when many providers are struggling with increased demand and reduced federal support.
Habitat for Humanity received hundreds of millions of dollars in support, while organizations focused on climate action, mental health, Indigenous rights, disaster recovery, and women’s advocacy also appear on her growing recipient list.
Scott addressed her philosophy directly in a December 2025 essay titled We Are the Ones We’ve Been Waiting For. In the piece, she argued that acts of generosity often create ripple effects far beyond what can be measured.
“It is these ripple effects,” Scott wrote, “that make imagining the power of any of our own acts of kindness impossible.”
The essay also revealed that Scott donated more than $7.1 billion in 2025 alone. The list of recipients included more than 2,700 organizations worldwide, ranging from the United Negro College Fund and the Thurgood Marshall College Fund to climate collaboratives, immigrant-rights organizations, food-access nonprofits, and arts institutions.
