Who Is MacKenzie Scott? Meet The Woman Worth Nearly $35B Who Has Been Making Historic Donations To HBCUs

MacKenzie Scott is on an HBCU funding tour.

Scott has recently made multiple donations to support Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), including two consecutive record-setting donations to Prairie View A&M University ($63 million) and Bowie State University ($50 million). According to press releases, this marked the most significant single contribution in each institution’s history.

“Her generosity arrives at a pivotal moment in our 160-year story. It empowers us to expand access, elevate our research and academic excellence, and uplift generations of students who will lead, serve and innovate,” Dr. Aminta H. Breaux, president of Bowie State University, said in a press release. “Higher education is the pathway to upward social mobility for our students and the communities we serve, and, with this gift, their futures are brighter than ever.”

Prairie View A&M University President Tomikia P. LeGrande commented:

“This gift is more than generous — it is defining and affirming. MacKenzie Scott’s investment amplifies the power and promise of a Prairie View A&M University education as we advance our vision of becoming a premier public, research-intensive HBCU that serves as a national model for student success. We are deeply grateful for her profound endorsement of our mission, our momentum, and our impact on the world.”

Scott’s philanthropy has also included contributions to the following schools in 2025:

“No investor in higher education history has had such a broad and transformational impact across so many universities,” North Carolina A&T State University Chancellor James R. Martin II  said in a news release.

As AFROTECH™ previously told you, Scott also donated $70 million to the  United Negro College Fund (UNCF), which will support a pooled endowment that plans to provide $5 million each to its member HBCUs for a total of $370 million.

“She is rewriting the book on philanthropy, not just in this country, but in the world,” UNCF President and CEO Michael L. Lomax told ABC News of Scott, whom he refers to as a “saint.”

In total, Scott has donated more than $700 million to HBCUs this fall, per KHOU. Her donations have also been unrestricted, allowing the universities to use the funds as they see fit, according to Fortune.

As AFROTECH™ previously reported, her investment approach was greatly informed by the late Nobel Prize-winning author Toni Morrison. Scott studied creative writing under Morrison while at Princeton University.

The course taught students to consider people and their stories through their dreams as well as their struggles, Stay Inspired mentioned.

“MacKenzie was one of the best students I’ve ever had in my creative-writing classes … Really one of the best,” Morrison said.

Morrison played a key role in Scott’s career after she graduated from college. This would add to the generosity Scott had experienced from others when she needed financial help to finish school. Scott had been a struggling student on the verge of dropping out in her sophomore year, but a $1,000 loan from her roommate came just in the time.

Post-college, Scott was a waitress in New York City. After deciding to apply for a role at hedge fund D. E. Shaw, she landed the job thanks to a phone recommendation from Morrison. There she met Jeff Bezos, who had joined the fund in 1990 and reportedly played a role in her hiring. The pair became a couple, married, and later moved to Seattle.

Bezos launched Amazon in 1995 with an initial focus on books but then scaled to become an “everything store,” Quartr reports. The company is a success with a strong global presence and a market cap of $2.48 trillion as of November.

Bezos and Scott divorced in 2019, after 25 years of marriage, People reports. Following the divorce settlement, Scott received a 4% stake in Amazon, which was about 139 million shares, according to Fortune. One of her first courses of action was to commit to giving half of her wealth away by signing the Giving Pledge.

In total, Scott has donated more than $19.25 billion through her philanthropic arm, Yield Giving, the outlet noted.

MacKenzie Worth has a net worth of nearly $35 billion today, Forbes reports.