Long before her name became synonymous with large-scale philanthropy, MacKenzie Scott was a student looking for direction. That guidance came from Toni Morrison, the Nobel Prize–winning novelist who taught Scott at Princeton University and remained a mentor well beyond the classroom. The relationship shaped Scott’s confidence as a writer, influenced her early career choices and, years later, provided a lens through which observers understand a giving philosophy that has seen her donate over $19 billion since 2019, according to publicly disclosed figures.
MacKenzie Scott’s formative bond with Toni Morrison at Princeton
Scott met Morrison in the early 1990s while studying creative writing at Princeton University. Morrison served as her professor and senior thesis adviser, working closely with Scott on her writing and intellectual development. She later described Scott as one of the strongest students she had taught, praising her discipline and originality. For Scott, the experience was transformative, combining rigorous critique with sustained encouragement at a formative stage of her life.
Guidance beyond the classroom
The mentorship did not end with Scott’s graduation in 1992. The two stayed in touch through letters and conversations as Scott struggled to find her footing after university. At the time, she was working low-paid jobs in New York while trying to write and support herself. Morrison offered reassurance and practical guidance, helping Scott navigate both creative uncertainty and the realities of early adulthood.Morrison’s support extended into Scott’s early professional life. She introduced Scott to her literary agent, helping set the stage for Scott’s debut novel, The Testing of Luther Albright, published in 2005, with Morrison providing a blurb for the book. Morrison also played a role in Scott securing a position at the hedge fund D.E. Shaw, offering what Scott later described as a decisive phone recommendation.
The path that led to Amazon
That role at D.E. Shaw brought Scott into contact with Jeff Bezos, who interviewed her for the position and later worked in a nearby office. The two married and left the firm in the mid-1990s to start Amazon. While Amazon would go on to reshape global commerce and generate vast wealth, Scott has consistently pointed to her pre-Amazon years, and Morrison’s mentorship in particular, as foundational to her sense of purpose and independence.
A distinctive approach to philanthropy
Scott’s philanthropy has drawn attention not only for its scale but for its structure. Since 2019, she has given away more than $19 billion, largely through unrestricted grants that allow recipient organisations to decide how funds are used. In 2025 alone, her disclosed donations exceeded $7 billion, spanning education, racial equity, public health and community institutions.
Honouring Morrison’s legacy through giving
Historically Black colleges and universities have been a significant focus of Scott’s philanthropy. She has given over $1.2 billion to HBCUs since 2020, including more than $700 million in 2025 alone, at a time when other major donors have scaled back diversity-related funding. Some contributions explicitly honour Morrison’s legacy, including funding for the Toni Morrison Endowed Chair in Arts and Humanities at Howard University.Scott is now best known as a novelist, philanthropist and former Amazon executive. Yet the roots of her worldview trace back to a classroom and a teacher who believed in her long before fame or fortune. While Scott has not explicitly linked her philanthropy to Morrison in public statements, the alignment between her giving priorities and Morrison’s lifelong commitments has made the connection a compelling one. Go to Source
