Jeff Bezos’ ex-wife MacKenzie Scott who sold half of her Amazon stake sets new record with her donations to historically Black colleges and universities

MacKenzie Scott donations to HBCU crosses $1 billion mark

MacKenzie Scott has set a new milestone in her philanthropy to historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), with her latest donations taking her total giving to the institutions to more than $1 billion. The former wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who sold about half of her Amazon stake in 2020, has given tens of millions of dollars to individual HBCUs, including a $42 million gift to Elizabeth City State University that pushed her total HBCU donations past the $1 billion mark.

MacKenzie Scott donations to HBCU crosses $1 billion mark

MacKenzie Scott’s $42 million donation to Elizabeth City State University in North Carolina was made earlier this year on the university’s Founders Day. The gift took her total donations to HBCUs to well over $1 billion.Elizabeth City State University Chancellor S. Keith Hargrove thanked Scott for the donation and said it would support the university’s ASCEND 2030 strategic plan.Scott’s giving to HBCUs is part of a wider philanthropic effort. Since 2020, she has committed about $26 billion to thousands of organisations working across areas including education, health, community development, disaster recovery and environmental causes.

Howard University received $80 million from Scott

Scott has made several large donations to HBCUs over the past six years. In November 2025, she gave Howard University $80 million. The donation was among the largest in the university’s 158-year history.She has also donated to institutions including Morgan State University, Prairie View A&M University, Norfolk State University, Bowie State University, Virginia State University and Winston-Salem State University.In 2025, Scott also donated $70 million each to the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and the United Negro College Fund.

Which HBCUs has MacKenzie Scott donated to

MacKenzie Scott’s HBCU donations include:

Her donations have also gone to schools including Hampton University, Morehouse College, North Carolina A&T State University, Tuskegee University, Xavier University of Louisiana and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.

Why Mackenzie Scott’s donations stand out

Many of Scott’s donations are unrestricted. This means universities can decide how to use the money instead of following conditions set by the donor. The funds can be used for scholarships, faculty hiring, endowments, campus upgrades or other priorities identified by the universities.Scott has previously described her approach to giving as based on trust and direct support for organisations.