MacKenzie Scott’s latest annual disclosure confirms what higher education leaders across the country have been seeing all year: her financial support of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) has reached an unprecedented scale.
In a year-end update published on her website, Scott reported donating $7.1 billion to nonprofits in 2025 alone, bringing her total giving since 2019 to $26.3 billion.
“This dollar total will likely be reported in the news,” Scott wrote, “but any dollar amount is a vanishingly tiny fraction of the personal expressions of care being shared into communities this year.”
A significant share of that funding has flowed into historically Black colleges and universities. According to research compiled by Rutgers University professor Marybeth Gasman for CNN, more than $780 million was distributed to HBCUs just this year.
When combined with Scott’s earlier rounds of giving since 2020, her total direct donations to HBCU campuses now exceed $1.2 billion. Gasman’s broader tracking places the cumulative figure closer to $1.35 billion.
Among the 2025 recipients were Howard University ($80 million), Prairie View A&M University ($63 million), North Carolina A&T State University ($63 million), Bowie State University ($50 million), Norfolk State University ($50 million), Winston-Salem State University ($50 million), Xavier University of Louisiana ($38 million), Spelman College ($38 million), Dillard University ($19 million), and Lincoln University ($25 million).
Several institutions received second historic gifts after earlier donations in 2020, while others were first-time beneficiaries this year.
Beyond individual campuses, Scott also awarded $70 million to the United Negro College Fund. UNCF said the money will be invested into a collective endowment designed to support nearly 40 HBCUs whose endowments are often far smaller than those of predominantly white institutions. The organization described the funding as a long-term investment in institutional stability and student access.
“One of the things that I really admire about MacKenzScott is that she is like an equity machine,” Gasman said, pointing out that the size of this year’s HBCU gifts surpassed Scott’s widely noted 2020 donations.
Scott’s education philanthropy in 2025 has extended beyond HBCUs as well. She has directed tens of millions of dollars toward tribal colleges and Native-serving organizations, including $5 million to Little Priest Tribal College, $9 million to Bay Mills Community College, and $7 million to Nebraska Indian Community College.
In addition, the Native Forward Scholars Fund received $50 million to meet growing demand for scholarships among Native American undergraduate and graduate students.
Community colleges have also been part of Scott’s giving this year. Northern Oklahoma College, the state’s oldest public community college, received a $17 million unrestricted gift to support long-term planning and student success initiatives.
Scott’s donations stand out not only for their size, but for how they are delivered. The funding is unrestricted, requires no application, and organizations are not obligated to file reports on how the money is used. Scott does not operate a public-facing foundation, and recipients are typically notified through intermediaries shortly before funds are transferred.
Research from the Center for Effective Philanthropy has found that recipients generally manage the funds without disruption and do not experience reduced support from other donors.