MacKenzie Scott Has Now Given Over $1 Billion to One Area of Higher Education

The milestone underscores a sustained push to direct flexible funding to colleges long overlooked by major philanthropy.

BY LEILA SHERIDAN, NEWS WRITER

MacKenzie Scott. Illustration: Inc.; Photo: Getty Images

MacKenzie Scott is giving away money at a pace that few philanthropists—past or present—have matched.

In 2025 alone, Scott donated an estimated $7.2 billion to 186 organizations, a total that exceeds what several of the most prominent U.S. billionaires have given over their lifetimes combined, according to Forbes. And with a new $42 million gift to Elizabeth City State University, her impact on one sector in particular—Historically Black Colleges and Universities—is becoming even more pronounced.

The donation, announced on the university’s Founders Day in North Carolina, pushes Scott’s total giving to HBCUs well past $1 billion, Fortune reported. It’s part of a sustained effort she began in 2020 to channel significant, flexible funding into institutions that have long been under-resourced but central to expanding economic and educational opportunity.

Chancellor S. Keith Hargrove, Sr. said Scott’s contribution will directly support the school’s ASCEND 2030 strategic plan, helping expand student opportunities and deepen community ties.

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“Her investment affirms what we already know: that institutions like ECSU are powerful catalysts for change,” Hargrove said in a statement, according to Fortune, adding that “gifts like this do more than provide resources; they accelerate momentum.”

Scott has taken a similar approach across HBCUs. In November 2025, she donated $80 million to Howard University, one of the largest gifts in the school’s 158-year history, Fortune reported. The university counts figures like Kamala Harris, Thurgood Marshall, and Toni Morrison among its alumni.

What distinguishes Scott’s philanthropy isn’t just its scale, but its structure. Her donations are largely unrestricted, allowing recipients to decide how best to use the funds, an approach that remains rare in a sector where donors often attach strict conditions.

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