MacKenzie Scott donates over $700 million to HBCUs

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FILE-MacKenzie Scott attends the 2018 Vanity Fair Oscar Party. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)

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MacKenzie Scott is continuing her philanthropic efforts with her latest historic donation.

Scott has given more than $700 million to multiple Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) this year.

RELATED: MacKenzie Scott doubles planned nonprofit gifts — here's how much she's given away so far

The billionaire has made substantial financial contributions to these academic institutions since 2020. During that same year, Scott also donated $20 million each to Morehouse College, Lincoln University, and Tuskegee University.

Which HBCUs have received financial donations from Scott?

Dig deeper:

MacKenzie Scott has donated money to Historically Black Colleges and Universities and here’s a list of the colleges she’s given money to this year. 

1. Howard University in Washington, D.C.-$80 million
2. Prairie View A&M University in Texas-$63 million
3. North Carolina A&T State University-$63 million
4. Bowie State University in Maryland-$50 million
5. Norfolk State University in Virginia-$50 million
6. Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina-$50 million
7. Spelman College-$38 million
8. Morgan State University – $63 million
9. University of Maryland Eastern Shore – $38 million
10. Virginia State University – $50 million
11. Alcorn State University – $42 million
12. Clark Atlanta University – $38 million
13. Alabama State University – $38 million
14. Voorhees University – $19 million
15. Philander Smith University in Arkansas – $19 million

RELATED: MacKenzie Scott gives out $640 million to 361 nonprofits

The New York Times reported that Scott also gave $70 million to the United Negro College Fund for a pooled endowment that will give $10 million to each of UNCF’s 37 member HBCUs, one of the largest collective boosts to Black colleges in decades. 

Who is MacKenzie Scott?

The backstory:

MacKenzie Scott is a philanthropist, author, and the ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, to whom she was married for 25 years. As part of their divorce in 2019, Scott received a 4% stake in the online retailer, according to Forbes.

In 2019, Scott signed the Giving Pledge, a movement of philanthropists who promise to give the majority of their wealth to charitable causes, either during their lifetimes or in their wills.

"We each come by the gifts we have to offer by an infinite series of influences and lucky breaks we can never fully understand," Scott wrote in 2019. "In addition to whatever assets life has nurtured in me, I have a disproportionate amount of money to share. My approach to philanthropy will continue to be thoughtful. It will take time and effort and care. But I won’t wait. And I will keep at it until the safe is empty."