Many people complain about billionaires not giving back, but philanthropist MacKenzie Scott has been consistently showing up for other people. On November 3, 2025, Spelman College announced that Scott donated an unrestricted $38 million gift to the school. This marks her second significant investment in the College in five years, which was $20 million in 2020.
"This monumental contribution will accelerate Spelman’s strategic vision, strengthening student access and affordability, and allowing for critical investment in modernizing technology infrastructure," Spelman College officials stated in a press release.
In 2025, MacKenzie Scott launched another sweeping wave of support for historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). On Nov. 2, she gave $63 million to Howard University and $17 million to the Howard University College of Medicine. This was one of the largest single contributions in the school’s history. The giving did not stop there.
Morgan State University received $63 million, Virginia State University was awarded $50 million, and Alcorn State University gained $42 million. Alabama State University, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, and Clark Atlanta University each received $38 million. Altogether, Scott’s 2025 gifts totaled about $387 million in new funding for HBCUs.
Here’s a list of MacKenzie Scott’s gifts to HBCUs (2020–2025):
2020 gifts ($560 million total)
- Prairie View A&M University: $50 million
- North Carolina A&T State University: $45 million
- Norfolk State University: $40 million
- Morgan State University: $40 million
- Howard University: $40 million
- Florida A&M University: $40 million
- Hampton University: $30 million
- Bowie State University: $25 million
- Alcorn State University: $25 million
- Delaware State University: $20 million
- Spelman College: $20 million
- Morehouse College: $20 million
- Tuskegee University: $20 million
- Xavier University of Louisiana: $20 million
- Clark Atlanta University: $15 million
- Plus eight additional HBCUs receiving smaller, undisclosed gifts
2022
- Meharry Medical College: $20 million
2023
- Howard University College of Medicine: $12 million
2025 gifts ($387 million total)
- Howard University: $80 million
- Morgan State University: $63 million
- Virginia State University: $50 million
- Alcorn State University: $42 million
- Alabama State University: $38 million
- University of Maryland Eastern Shore: $38 million
- Spelman College: $38 million
- Clark Atlanta University: $38 million
Additionally, Scott donated $10 million to the United Negro College Fund in 2020 and gave another $70 million to the organization in 2025.
According to official announcements from the universities and the UNCF, MacKenzie Scott has donated about $1.06 billion to support HBCUs between 2020 and 2025.
To date, MacKenzie Scott’s nonprofit Yield Giving has donated more than $19.25 billion to over 2,450 nonprofits. Her giving continues to change lives and strengthen communities across the country and proves that when generosity meets purpose the impact can last for generations.