MacKenzie Scott, the ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, donates $42 million to Elizabeth City State University in North Carolina, bringing her total giving to historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) to more than $1 billion. The gift is reported to be made around the school’s Founders Day.
The outlets describe Scott’s HBCU donations as part of a larger pattern of major philanthropy. They note that since 2020 she has provided substantial support to a range of institutions, often through unrestricted funding. This approach allows recipient universities to decide how to use the money based on their priorities.
One outlet frames the milestone in terms of reporting that her HBCU totals have surpassed the billion-dollar mark, while the other emphasizes the scale and reach of her HBCU giving and the role of unrestricted donations. Both accounts identify the same recent $42 million donation to Elizabeth City State University as the trigger for the new record.
