MacKenzie Scott has donated $26 billion through her philanthropic platform Yield Giving, making her one of the world's most generous philanthropists. The Amazon co-founder turned novelist credits a $1,000 loan from her Princeton roommate Jeannie Ringo Tarkenton as the catalyst for her giving philosophy. Tarkenton's small act of kindness during Scott's sophomore year kept her from dropping out of college.

After her 2019 divorce from Jeff Bezos, Scott received roughly 4% of Amazon, or about 139 million shares, which has fueled her massive charitable giving. Since 2020, she has reduced her stake by 42%, selling or donating approximately 58 million shares while still maintaining a net worth of nearly $28 billion. Her donations have supported thousands of organizations focused on education, DEI, and disaster recovery.

Tarkenton, inspired by the impact of her initial loan, founded Funding U two decades later, providing $80 million in low-interest loans to about 8,000 students without cosigners. The story illustrates how small acts of generosity can create ripple effects across generations. As Scott wrote in her October essay, "It is these ripple effects that make imagining the power of any of our own acts of kindness impossible." Her roommate's modest loan has now translated into billions of dollars helping countless individuals and communities worldwide.