MacKenzie Scott Donates $42M to HBCU Elizabeth City State University

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Published by Stephen Oluwadara at March 17, 2026

A Gift to Educate, Empower, and Elevate

The donation underscores Elizabeth City State University’s longstanding mission to expand access and opportunity through education. It is the largest per-student gift among Scott’s recent contributions to any Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and nearly triples the amount she gave ECSU in 2020.

Essentially, it comes at a pivotal time for the university, as ECSU has just launched its five-year strategic plan named ASCEND 2030. University Chancellor S. Keith Hargrove made the announcement during his keynote address at the university’s Founders Day Convocation.

“I want to express our deepest gratitude to MacKenzie Scott for this remarkable act of generosity and for her recognition of the critical role that HBCUs play in expanding opportunity and strengthening communities,” Hargrove said. “Her investment affirms what we already know: that institutions like ECSU are powerful catalysts for change.”

For an institution with roughly 2,500 students, the gift stands out not just for its size but also for its per-student scale, making it one of the most significant investments of its kind among HBCUs.

Founded in 1891, Elizabeth City State University marked its 135th anniversary during this year’s convocation and Founder’s Day held on Friday, March 13, 2026. The historically Black university is part of the University of North Carolina System. It has long served as a pipeline for students seeking access, mobility, and opportunity—missions that Scott’s philanthropy consistently aligns with.

How ECSU Will Deploy Mackenzie’s Grant

According to university officials and Chancellor Hargrove, the gift will have a transformative impact across campus and play an integral role in implementing ASCEND 2030. It’ll create endowed scholarship programs to support student learning and success.

In addition, endowments will be established to support innovative academic programs and institutional growth. Infrastructure improvements across academic, athletic, and residential spaces will also help position ECSU as a vibrant place to live, work, and learn.

“Gifts like this do more than provide resources; they accelerate momentum,” Hargrove added. “This gift allows institutions like Elizabeth City State University to move boldly toward the future while remaining grounded in the mission that has guided us for 135 years.”

MacKenzie Scott has emerged as a game-changer in education philanthropy after receiving a 4% stake in Amazon as part of her 2019 divorce from Jeff Bezos. With a $28.4 billion net worth, she’s pledged to give away at least half through the Giving Pledge.

Her approach is deliberate yet urgent. “In addition to whatever assets life has nurtured in me, I have a disproportionate amount of money to share,” Scott wrote when she signed the pledge. “I won’t wait. And I will keep at it until the safe is empty.”

This urgency has yielded results: $7.2 billion given away in 2025 alone, the largest annual total since tracking began. Her lifetime giving tops $26 billion, including $1.1 billion or more to HBCUs, tribal colleges, and access-focused organizations last year.

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