California · Fortune Technology
MacKenzie Scott’s gifts come with no strings—but the four biggest donors to democracy programs put $189 million into
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MacKenzie Scott is one of today’s most prominent philanthropists, having given away more than $26 billion since 2019.
Key facts
- Richard and Nancy Kinder’s $25 million gift to the University of Missouri in 2022 expanded the Kinder Institute on Constitutional Democracy, bringing the couple’s total giving to the institute to $60
- In a new report, The Chronicle of Philanthropy counted 18 gifts of $1 million or more to democracy programs since 2006, worth a combined $369.2 million
- About 72% of that money, or $266.5 million, came from 2021 through 2025, with peak giving in 2024 at $84 million
- Francis and Kathleen Rooney gave the second-largest gift: $55 million to the University of Notre Dame in 2025 to endow the Rooney Democracy Institute
Summary
In a new report, The Chronicle of Philanthropy counted 18 gifts of $1 million or more to democracy programs since 2006, worth a combined $369.2 million. About 72% of that money, or $266.5 million, came from 2021 through 2025, with peak giving in 2024 at $84 million. For example, Democracy Works, the nonprofit behind the voter-engagement platform TurboVote, in 2023 announced it had received an unrestricted gift from Scott, the largest single donation in its history. “She practices trust-based philanthropy,” Anne Marie Dougherty, CEO of the veteran-focused Bob Woodruff Foundation, told Fortune last year.