MacKenzie Scott, the ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, has donated more than $4bn (£3bn) to food banks and emergency relief funds in four months.
In a blog post, Ms Scott said she wanted to help Americans who were struggling because of the pandemic.
Ms Scott is the world’s 18th-richest person, having seen her wealth climb $23.6bn this year to $60.7bn.
Much of her fortune comes from her divorce from Mr Bezos who is the world’s richest man.
“This pandemic has been a wrecking ball in the lives of Americans already struggling,” she wrote in a blog post on Tuesday, adding that she had picked more than 380 charities to donate to having considered almost 6,500 organisations.
“Economic losses and health outcomes alike have been worse for women, for people of colour and for people living in poverty. Meanwhile, it has substantially increased the wealth of billionaires.”
BBC