Christmas Comes Early for a Large Groups of HBCUs

This past summer, MacKenzie Scott, a novelist and ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, announced that she had made eight-figure donations to several of the most prestigious historically Black colleges and universities. Howard University reported that it had received $40 million. Hampton University in Virginia reported a $30 million contribution. Tuskegee University in Alabama, Morehouse College in Atlanta, and Xavier University in New Orleans announced $20 million donations. Spelman College in Atlanta also received a major donation from Scott.

Scott was awarded 4 percent of Amazon shares in divorce proceedings. She is estimated to have a net worth of about $60-$70 billion.

Now Scott has announced gifts of $4,159,000,000 to 384 organizations. She reports that her organization researched 6,490 organizations and more than 800 were considered finalists.

Scott stated that of the organizations selected for donations “some are filling basic needs: food banks, emergency relief funds, and support services for those most vulnerable. Others are addressing long-term systemic inequities that have been deepened by the crisis: debt relief, employment training, credit and financial services for under-resourced communities, education for historically marginalized and underserved people, civil rights advocacy groups, and legal defense funds that take on institutional discrimination.”

Among the donations are gifts to at least 17 historically Black colleges and universities, most of them state-operated institutions.

Here is a list of HBCUs who have benefitted from the latest round of donations from Scott.

Alcon State University, $25 million
Bowie State University, $25 million
Claflin Univerity, $20 million
Clark Atlanta University, $15 million
Delaware State University, $20 million
Dillard University, $5 million
Elizabeth City State University, $15 million
Lincoln University (PA), $20 million
Morgan State University, $40 million
Norfolk State University, $40 million
North Carolina A&T State Univerity, $45 million
Prairie View A&M University, $50 million
University of Maryland Eastern Shore, $20 million
Virginia State University, $30 million
Winston-Salem State University $30 million

The donations listed above total $400 million. Tougaloo College and Voorhees College also received donations but had not announced the amount at the time this post was written.

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Get the JBHE Weekly Bulletin

Receive our weekly email newsletter delivered to your inbox

Latest News

Howard University Achieves R1 Status While North Carolina A&T State University Falls Short

Howard University has received the prestigious R1 Carnegie Classification, making the institution eligible for major federal grants. NCA&T University narrowly missed the achievement, averaging just three less annual doctoral graduates than the classification's requirements.

Three Black Scholars Selected for Endowed Faculty Positions

The new endowed professors are Eddie Chambers at School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Stefanie Dunning at the University of Rochester in New York, and Kizzmekia Corbett-Helaire at Harvard University.

North Carolina Central University Establishes Early Assurance Program With the UNC School of Pharmacy

Students at North Carolina Central University now have the opportunity to apply to an early assurance program for the doctor of pharmacy degree program at the University of North Carolina's Eshelman School of Pharmacy, the top-ranked pharmacy school in the United States.

Five Black Administrators Taking on New Roles at HBCUs

The appointments are Anthony Neal at Florida A&M University, Tara Cunningham at Dillard University in New Orleans, David Camps at North Carolina A&T State University, Michael Meyers at Paine College in Georgia, and Sidney Brown at Tuskegee University in Alabama.

Featured Jobs