What Yield Giving does

Yield Giving is a private philanthropic organization established by novelist and philanthropist MacKenzie Scott in 2022 as the formal vehicle for her trust-based giving program. The organization identifies non-profit organizations through internal research, due diligence, and a network of staff and advisors — explicitly not through open applications — and distributes unrestricted, upfront gifts to selected recipients with no progress-reporting requirements and minimal press coverage. Since 2019, Yield Giving has delivered over $26.3 billion across 2,700+ gifts to non-profit teams operating in higher education (with material concentration in HBCUs), climate, disaster recovery, senior services, affordable housing, and global community development, in 40+ countries.

The underlying technology footprint is intentionally minimal: a content website (yieldgiving.com) with a searchable database of gift recipients organized by focus area and geography, plus an essay-publishing system that articulates the giving philosophy. There is no public API, no SDK, no mobile application, and no documented integrations. The organization's "product" is the gift itself — unrestricted capital deployed with full recipient discretion — rather than a SaaS or transactional offering. Distribution is direct: gifts are communicated to program leaders via phone calls after the research process, with no marketing funnel in the conventional sense and no participation in events or media.

Yield Giving is wholly owned and funded by MacKenzie Scott's personal wealth, derived primarily from the Amazon shares she received in her 2019 divorce settlement. The organization has no external investors, no parent company, and no public funding rounds; it is governed under the laws of the State of Washington. Revenue is not generated — capital is deployed, not earned — and the operating model is sustained indefinitely as long as Scott's balance sheet supports continued giving. Strategic positioning centers on the "seeding by ceding" thesis: adding value by giving up control, with the platform's name ("Yield") reflecting that dual meaning of increase and relinquishment.

Name

Yield Giving

Legal name

Yield Giving

Website

https://yieldgiving.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Yield Giving is a private philanthropic platform founded by MacKenzie Scott in 2022 that distributes unrestricted gifts to vetted non-profit organizations worldwide. It has deployed over $26 billion across 2,700+ gifts since 2019, with $7.1 billion donated in 2025 alone.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philanthropy and Charitable Giving

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Health and Welfare Funds (52512), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Finance Services (6199)

akta.pro primary industry

Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Grantmaking & Philanthropic Funds (Institutional Donors) (BPADAOAB), Grantmaking Agencies & Education Program Grants Administration (EDADAHAD), Fundraising & Annual Giving (EDALAOAB), Advancement Services & Donor Operations (CRM, Gift Processing, Stewardship) (EDALAOAD)

Keywords

• Trust-based philanthropy
• Unrestricted charitable giving
• Private foundation grants
• Nonprofit funding platform
• Philanthropic giving program

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic giving (outbound): Yield Giving is a philanthropy that distributes MacKenzie Scott's personal wealth to non-profit organizations. The organization does not generate revenue but rather distributes capital. Scott has donated over $26 billion since 2019 through this vehicle.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Yield Giving is a philanthropic platform established by MacKenzie Scott that distributes unrestricted financial gifts to vetted non-profit organizations. The organization identifies recipients through research and due diligence rather than open applications, then provides upfront, unrestricted funding with no progress reports and minimal press coverage. Recipients can allocate funds as they see fit for the benefit of others.

Product overview

Yield Giving is a philanthropy platform established by MacKenzie Scott to facilitate unrestricted charitable giving to non-profit organizations. The organization does not operate as a traditional SaaS product with distinct modules or offerings. Its core 'product' is its giving program, which distributes funds to vetted non-profit teams with no restrictions on how funds are used. The platform maintains a public database of gift recipients organized by focus area and geography, and publishes essays explaining its approach to trust-based philanthropy. The organization was founded in 2022 (referenced as 'Yield Giving' launch year) and has distributed over $26 billion across 2,700+ gifts since 2019.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Trust-Based Giving Program A philanthropic giving program that distributes unrestricted, upfront financial gifts to vetted non-profit organizations identified through research and due diligence. Recipients can use funds as they see fit with no applications, no progress reports, and minimal press coverage. As of 2025, the program has distributed over $26 billion across 2,700+ gifts to non-profit teams working in education, climate, health, disaster relief, and community development.
• Yield Giving Website and Gift Recipient Database Public website (yieldgiving.com) that publishes essays about the organization's giving philosophy and maintains a searchable, global database of gift recipients organized by focus area and geography. The site serves as the organization's primary communication channel for sharing information about giving decisions and for connecting with non-profits and other givers.

Quantifiable outcome

• $26.3 billion given to 2,700+ organizations since 2019
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation: The largest private philanthropic foundation in the world, distributing billions annually across global health, education, and poverty. Directly comparable as a large-scale, founder-funded philanthropic vehicle distributing unrestricted and restricted capital to non-profits globally.
• Chan Zuckerberg Initiative: Limited liability company philanthropy founded by Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan that deploys tech-derived wealth into education, science, and social causes. Closely comparable as a personal-wealth-funded, founder-controlled giving platform operating at billion-dollar annual scale.
• Bloomberg Philanthropies: Personal philanthropy of Michael Bloomberg covering public health, climate, education, and the arts. Comparable as a high-capacity, founder-driven philanthropy with global reach and significant unrestricted giving to non-profit partners.
• Emerson Collective: Laurene Powell Jobs's philanthropy and investment vehicle focused on education, immigration, climate, and social justice. Comparable as a founder-controlled organization deploying personal tech wealth across multiple cause areas with both grantmaking and operational programs.
• Ford Foundation: Major US private foundation with global programs in inequality, democracy, and climate. Comparable as a large-scale institutional grantmaker distributing unrestricted and restricted capital to thousands of non-profits across education, civil rights, and economic equity.
• Open Society Foundations: George Soros's global grantmaking network focused on democracy, rights, and social justice. Comparable as a founder-funded philanthropic platform distributing billions to non-profits across multiple geographies and politically sensitive cause areas.
• Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation: Major US private foundation focused on reproductive health, education, and social justice. Comparable as a large-scale, low-profile grantmaker distributing hundreds of millions annually to non-profits across health and education.
• Lilly Endowment: One of the largest US private foundations, distributing over $1B annually primarily to religion, education, and community development non-profits. Comparable as a high-capacity institutional grantmaker making large unrestricted and restricted gifts to vetted non-profits.

Broad incumbents

• Howard Hughes Medical Institute: Large US philanthropic organization funding biomedical research and science education. Comparable as a multi-billion-dollar foundation with deep research-driven processes for selecting recipients, though focused narrowly on science rather than social causes.

Emerging players

• Dalio Philanthropies: Ray Dalio's philanthropic vehicle focused on education, ocean conservation, and mental health. Comparable as a founder-controlled, personal-wealth-funded philanthropy distributing large gifts to non-profits, though at smaller scale than Yield Giving.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://yieldgiving.com
• Facebookfacebook.com/YieldGiving
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/cws/share?url=https://yieldgiving.com

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments13 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Yield Giving