Breaking
JPU.S. employment statistics for August significantly exceed expectations; number of non-agricultural workers increases by 162,000CRYPTO-FRThe American labor market surprises with its resistance in August 2026BRPresident of the STF, Edson Fachin, suspends request for investigation by Alexandre de Moraes against André Mendonça in the fake news investigationTRThe wanted man, who was sentenced to 31 years, 4 months and 15 days in prison, was caught in Kocaeli Izmit.RURussian troops strike two Ukrainian ships in the Black SeaESThe United States seeks its ninth women's basketball world title in Berlin against the challenge of EuropeRUSobyanin announced the destruction of 19 UAVs by air defense systems of the Ministry of DefenseFRUS sanctions Turkish bank suspected of working with IranTR42 Suspects DetainedBRTwo men are arrested on suspicion of an attack on a PMAM captain in ManausJPU.S. employment statistics for August significantly exceed expectations; number of non-agricultural workers increases by 162,000CRYPTO-FRThe American labor market surprises with its resistance in August 2026BRPresident of the STF, Edson Fachin, suspends request for investigation by Alexandre de Moraes against André Mendonça in the fake news investigationTRThe wanted man, who was sentenced to 31 years, 4 months and 15 days in prison, was caught in Kocaeli Izmit.RURussian troops strike two Ukrainian ships in the Black SeaESThe United States seeks its ninth women's basketball world title in Berlin against the challenge of EuropeRUSobyanin announced the destruction of 19 UAVs by air defense systems of the Ministry of DefenseFRUS sanctions Turkish bank suspected of working with IranTR42 Suspects DetainedBRTwo men are arrested on suspicion of an attack on a PMAM captain in Manaus
Newsgather
All StoriesWorldSportsFinanceTechScienceHealthCultureClimatePoliticsSpace
BackMacKenzie Scott's HBCU donations surpass $1 billion
MacKenzie Scott's HBCU donations surpass $1 billion
Developing
Times of India1 hour agoPhilanthropy2 min readIndia

MacKenzie Scott's HBCU donations surpass $1 billion

mackenzie scotthbcuelizabeth city state university

Quick Look

  • MacKenzie Scott's donations to historically Black colleges and universities have exceeded $1 billion, including a $42 million gift to Elizabeth City State University.
  • Her giving spans multiple HBCUs and is part of a broader $26 billion philanthropic effort since 2020 focused on education, health, and community development.

AI-generated summary

Why It Matters

MacKenzie Scott, former wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, has been making significant philanthropic donations since 2020 after selling about half of her Amazon stake. Her giving focuses on education, health, community development, disaster recovery, and environmental causes.

Font size

MacKenzie Scott has set a new milestone in her philanthropy to historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), with her latest donations taking her total giving to the institutions to more than $1 billion. The former wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who sold about half of her Amazon stake in 2020, has given tens of millions of dollars to individual HBCUs, including a $42 million gift to Elizabeth City State University that pushed her total HBCU donations past the $1 billion mark.

MacKenzie Scott’s $42 million donation to Elizabeth City State University in North Carolina was made earlier this year on the university’s Founders Day. The gift took her total donations to HBCUs to well over $1 billion. Elizabeth City State University Chancellor S. Keith Hargrove thanked Scott for the donation and said it would support the university’s ASCEND 2030 strategic plan. Scott’s giving to HBCUs is part of a wider philanthropic effort. Since 2020, she has committed about $26 billion to thousands of organisations working across areas including education, health, community development, disaster recovery and environmental causes.

Howard University received $80 million from Scott

Scott has made several large donations to HBCUs over the past six years. In November 2025, she gave Howard University $80 million. The donation was among the largest in the university’s 158-year history. She has also donated to institutions including Morgan State University, Prairie View A&M University, Norfolk State University, Bowie State University, Virginia State University and Winston-Salem State University. In 2025, Scott also donated $70 million each to the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and the United Negro College Fund.

Which HBCUs has MacKenzie Scott donated to

MacKenzie Scott’s HBCU donations include:

Alabama State University: $38 million in 2025

Alcorn State University: $42 million in 2025

Bowie State University: $75 million across 2020 and 2025

Clark Atlanta University: $53 million across 2020 and 2025

Howard University: $120 million across 2020 and 2025

Morgan State University: $103 million across 2020 and 2025

Norfolk State University: $90 million across 2020 and 2025

Prairie View A&M University: $113 million across 2020 and 2025

Spelman College: $58 million across 2020 and 2025

Virginia State University: $50 million in 2025

Winston-Salem State University: $50 million in 2025

Elizabeth City State University: $57 million across 2020 and 2026

Her donations have also gone to schools including Hampton University, Morehouse College, North Carolina A&T State University, Tuskegee University, Xavier University of Louisiana and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.

Why Mackenzie Scott’s donations stand out

Many of Scott’s donations are unrestricted. This means universities can decide how to use the money instead of following conditions set by the donor. The funds can be used for scholarships, faculty hiring, endowments, campus upgrades or other priorities identified by the universities. Scott has previously described her approach to giving as based on trust and direct support for organisations.

Open Questions

  • What specific initiatives will the $42 million donation to Elizabeth City State University fund under the ASCEND 2030 plan?
  • How will the unrestricted nature of these donations impact long-term strategic planning at recipient institutions?
  • Are there plans for continued donations to HBCUs beyond the current $1 billion milestone?

Related Topics

mackenzie scott
PeopleMacKenzie ScottS. Keith HargroveJeff Bezos
OrganizationsElizabeth City State UniversityHoward UniversityMorgan State UniversityPrairie View A&M University
PlacesUnited StatesNorth CarolinaElizabeth City
Topicshbcuelizabeth city state universityhoward universityphilanthropydonationsunrestricted giving
This article was originally published by Times of India.

Related Stories

Forbes Family Donates 80,000-Acre Conservation Easement in Colorado
Environment·

Forbes Family Donates 80,000-Acre Conservation Easement in Colorado

The family of Malcolm Forbes donated an 80,000-acre conservation easement on Trinchera Ranch in southern Colorado, the largest in state history, permanently protecting alpine wilderness, wildlife habitats, and historic lands from commercial development. The agreement, managed by Colorado Open Lands, builds on 35 years of stewardship and was later expanded by owner Louis Bacon to protect the entire 172,000-acre estate.

TOI World
2 min read
More on this topicmackenzie scott