MacKenzie Scott has donated a substantial amount to HBCUs.
Scott is the ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and received a nearly 4% stake in the company after they divorced in 2019, according to Bloomberg. Forbes estimates Scott’s net worth today to be $29.8 billion, and she has been committed to giving away at least half her fortune, as evidenced by the Giving Pledge she signed on May 25, 2019, as AFROTECH™ previously reported.
One of Scott’s philanthropic areas of focus has been Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). In March, Elizabeth City State University (ECSU) received a $42 million donation from her. According to a press release, this was the largest dollar-per-student-enrolled gift for any HBCU and nearly tripled a previous donation from Scott in 2020.
“I want to express our deepest gratitude to MacKenzie Scott for this remarkable act of generosity and for her recognition of the critical role that HBCUs play in expanding opportunity and strengthening communities,” ECSU Chancellor S. Keith Hargrove Sr. said in the release. “Her investment affirms what we already know: that institutions like ECSU are powerful catalysts for change.”
Hargrove continued, “Gifts like this do more than provide resources; they accelerate momentum. This gift allows institutions like Elizabeth City State University to move boldly toward the future while remaining grounded in the mission that has guided us for 135 years.”
As AFROTECH™ previously reported, Scott has also made donations to the following higher learning institutions:
“It is a powerful affirmation of the enduring value of Historically Black Colleges and Universities,” Lincoln University President Brenda Allen said regarding Scott’s generosity.
Scott’s donations to HBCUs now exceed $1 billion, according to Fortune.
