Billionaire MacKenzie Scott’s historic philanthropic run has contributed more than $700 million to over a dozen historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) this fall.
In what are some of the largest single contributions in the schools’ histories, Scott’s efforts continued this weekend, sending $63 million, $50 million and $19 million gifts to Prairie View A&M University in Texas, Bowie State University in Maryland and Philander Smith University in Arkansas on Friday.
Bowie State was the 15th historically Black institution Scott has made an unrestricted gift to since the start of this school year. Bowie State President Dr. Aminta H. Breaux said she is profoundly grateful for the award.
“Her generosity arrives at a pivotal moment in our 160-year story,” Breaux wrote in a statement. “It empowers us to expand access, elevate our research and academic excellence, and uplift generations of students who will lead, serve and innovate. 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,” she added.
The average gifts are around $47 million and span from HBCUs in Alabama to Virginia. Norfolk State University in Virginia recently received a $50 million gift from Scott, which the school said will “catapult” it into its next level of excellence.
MacKenzie Bezos attends the 2018 Vanity Fair Oscar Party hosted by Radhika Jones at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on March 4, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California.
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Howard University received Scott’s most generous gift to HBCUs this year, when the school was awarded $80 million at the start of November. In September, Scott also awarded the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) with a “transformational” $70 million gift towards strengthening HBCUs.
Overjoyed, UNCF President and CEO Michael L. Lomax called the billionaire, who was previously married to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, “Saint MacKenzie Scott.”
“She is rewriting the book on philanthropy, not just in this country, but in the world,” Lomax told ABC News.
Long underfunded by the federal government, education experts attribute the financial problem to America’s history of racial inequality. However, HBCUs recently received over $400 million from the Department of Education through funding that was redirected to them for their commitment to educational outcomes, according to the department.
The move increased HBCU federal funding for fiscal year 2025 to $1.3 billion. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon praised the schools for being “pillars of excellence” since 1837.
Lodriguez V. Murray, UNCF’s senior vice president for public policy and government affairs, called the additional federal funding “nothing short of a godsend for HBCUs.”
