MacKenzie Scott, the philanthropist who was once mentored by Nobel Prize–winning author Toni Morrison, has made history at Morgan State University.
As reported by The Washington Post, the Baltimore-based HBCU announced on Wednesday, October 15, that it had received a $63 million unrestricted donation from Scott — the largest private gift in the school’s 157-year history.
The donation surpasses Scott’s own previous record at the university, a $40 million gift she made in 2020.
Morgan State President David K. Wilson said the $63 million contribution will drive transformation across several key areas, including student financial aid, faculty endowments, and advanced research in fields like brain science and artificial intelligence. “The $63 million is going to enable us to continue a level of transformation at Morgan that we, perhaps, have not seen at an HBCU in the modern era,” Wilson stated.
Founded in 1867, Morgan State has grown to become the nation’s third-largest HBCU, enrolling more than 11,500 students this fall. The university recently began construction on what will be the country’s first public nonprofit medical school at an HBCU and aims to achieve top-tier research institution status by 2030.
Leaders believe the new endowment will help bridge historic funding disparities and further establish Morgan State as a powerhouse of innovation.
Scott’s generosity reflects her personal and academic journey. As TODAY reported, after earning her degree from Princeton University in 1992, she studied creative writing under Toni Morrison, who once called her “one of the best students I’ve ever had.”
Scott later published award-winning fiction before helping her then-husband, Jeff Bezos, launch Amazon in 1994. Following their divorce in 2019, she received a four percent stake in the company—valued at more than $30 billion at the time.
Since then, Scott has pledged to give away the majority of her wealth, having already distributed more than $19 billion to over 2,000 organizations.
HBCUs have been some of her most notable beneficiaries. She’s donated $70 million to the United Negro College Fund and more than $45 million combined to institutions such as Bowie State University and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.
Scott’s philanthropic model is rooted in trust — recipients typically find out they’ve been chosen only after the donation is complete, and the funds come with no spending restrictions.
In a blog post, she reflected on the power of giving, writing, “Votes are not the only way to show what we’d like to see more of in our societies. There are many ways to influence how we move through the world, and where we land.”
