MacKenzie Scott Gave More Than $500M to Historically Black Colleges. Here’s How the Donations Made an Impact

MacKenzie Scott has long been recognized for her extraordinary philanthropy, including her groundbreaking donations to historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) across the United States.

In 2020, according to a report from Rutgers University, the philanthropist and ex-wife of Jeff Bezos donated $560 million to 23 HBCUs nationwide. Researchers at Rutgers found that these gifts had a measurable impact: on average, HBCUs that received funding saw median enrollment increases of over 300 students compared to schools that did not receive donations. They also achieved student retention rates 15% higher than non-recipient institutions, according to the 2021 report.

Over time, these donations have continued to shape the future of the institutions that received them. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution recently reported that Morehouse College will use its $20 million contribution to construct a new campus center.

Spelman College, which received an unrestricted $20 million gift, distributed the funds across multiple priorities. A school spokesperson said $11 million was added to Spelman’s endowment, $1.1 million supported its Social Justice Scholars program, and every student in 2020 received a $3,500 Path Forward scholarship. Remaining funds were directed toward technology upgrades, academic programming, and other institutional improvements.

At Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, officials described their $20 million gift as “transformative,” citing its role in strengthening strategic priorities such as student success initiatives, academic innovation, and long-term financial sustainability.

Bowie State University confirmed that Scott’s $25 million donation—the largest in its history—was primarily used to bolster its endowment fund, with $2.5 million set aside for matching grant opportunities that required university contributions.

The University of Maryland Eastern Shore used its $20 million donation to establish three new endowments. One supports scholarships, another funds special initiatives, and the third—matched by a state program—created an Endowed Chair in Entrepreneurship. The chairholder has since leveraged the position to secure an additional $6 million to support student, faculty, and community entrepreneurship programs, along with developing a maker’s space and off-campus business incubator.

Morgan State University dedicated most of its $40 million gift to its newly established “Leading the World Endowment Fund,” while Howard University used its $40 million donation to strengthen its five-year strategic plan, focusing on timely student graduation, faculty retention, infrastructure enhancement, and academic innovation. In 2023, Scott also contributed an additional $12 million specifically to Howard’s College of Medicine.

Tuskegee University reported that half of its $20 million gift went toward endowments to support scholarships, while the other half was invested, growing to nearly $14.9 million.

Scott, who has pledged to give away most of her fortune during her lifetime, currently has an estimated net worth of nearly $40 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Since finalizing her divorce from Bezos in 2019, she has given away more than $19 billion to over 2,000 organizations — a level of large-scale, unrestricted giving that researchers say has fundamentally reshaped modern philanthropy.