Scott’s $42 Million Gift to Elizabeth City State University Makes Campus History
MacKenzie Scott has once again directed a major portion of her wealth toward Historically Black Colleges and Universities, this time with a historic $42 million donation to Elizabeth City State University in North Carolina.
University leaders announced the gift Friday, March 13 during the school’s Founders Day Convocation. Chancellor S. Keith Hargrove Sr. revealed the news during his keynote address, describing the contribution as a transformative investment in the university’s future.
For a campus with roughly 2,500 students, the donation stands out not only for its total value but also for its impact per student, making it one of the most significant per capita gifts ever awarded to an HBCU.
“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 in a statement released by the university.
Gift Builds on Scott’s Previous Support for ECSU
The $42 million donation nearly triples Scott’s earlier $15 million contribution to Elizabeth City State University in 2020.
Founded in 1891, ECSU celebrated its 135th anniversary during the same convocation where the donation was announced. The historically Black university is part of the University of North Carolina System and has long served as an educational pathway for students seeking greater access and economic mobility.
University officials say the new funding will help power ECSU’s long term strategic vision known as ASCEND 2030. The plan includes expanding endowed scholarships, strengthening academic programs, and improving campus facilities across academic buildings, residential spaces, and athletic programs.
“Gifts like this do more than provide resources. They accelerate momentum,” Hargrove said. “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.”
A Philanthropic Strategy Focused on Access
Scott, who received a four percent stake in Amazon following her 2019 divorce from founder Jeff Bezos, has emerged as one of the most influential philanthropic figures in higher education.
With a net worth estimated at $28.4 billion, she has pledged to donate at least half of her wealth through the Giving Pledge. Her approach to giving is often described as fast moving and trust based, with donations typically offered without restrictions.
“In addition to whatever assets life has nurtured in me, I have a disproportionate amount of money to share,” Scott wrote when she joined the pledge. “I won’t wait. And I will keep at it until the safe is empty.”
That urgency has translated into billions of dollars in donations. In 2025 alone, Scott gave away $7.2 billion, the largest single year of giving since she began publicly documenting her philanthropy.
Continued Investment in Historically Black Colleges
Scott’s lifetime giving has now exceeded $26 billion. A significant portion of that support has gone toward expanding access to education through investments in HBCUs, tribal colleges, and community colleges.
More than $1.1 billion was directed last year toward institutions and organizations focused on improving college access and student opportunity.
Unlike many large scale donations tied to specific conditions, Scott’s gifts are typically unrestricted. That allows universities like Elizabeth City State to allocate the funding where it is needed most.
For many Historically Black Colleges and Universities, which have long faced systemic underfunding, that flexibility can have a lasting impact.
At Elizabeth City State University, administrators say the transformation sparked by Scott’s latest gift is already beginning to take shape.
