MacKenzie Scott has made another major investment in historically Black colleges and universities, this time awarding a $42 million gift to Elizabeth City State University in North Carolina. The donation, announced during the school’s Founders Day Convocation, is drawing attention as the latest addition to Scott’s ongoing series of record-setting contributions to HBCUs.
According to Forbes, Elizabeth City State University Chancellor S. Keith Hargrove Sr. announced the donation during his keynote address, noting that the $42 million gift is the largest per-student donation among the recent HBCU gifts Scott has made.
The university enrolls roughly 2,500 students, making the contribution particularly significant relative to its student population. The gift also follows Scott’s earlier $15 million donation to the university in 2020.
University officials said the funding will support the institution’s ASCEND 2030 strategic plan. The initiative focuses on expanding scholarship opportunities, strengthening academic programs through endowments, and funding improvements to campus infrastructure, including academic, residential, and athletic facilities.
“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 the university’s announcement.
He added that the funding allows the university to accelerate long-term goals while remaining focused on its historic mission. “Gifts like this do more than provide resources; they accelerate momentum.”
Founded in 1891, Elizabeth City State University recently celebrated its 135th anniversary. The school is part of the University of North Carolina system and has long focused on expanding educational access in northeastern North Carolina and surrounding communities.
Scott’s latest gift continues a pattern that has reshaped funding for historically Black colleges in recent years. In 2025 alone, she distributed more than $740 million to HBCUs.
Major recipients included 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).
She also contributed $70 million to the United Negro College Fund to support a shared endowment benefiting dozens of HBCUs.
Scott’s higher-education giving has also extended beyond HBCUs.
Tribal colleges such as Bay Mills Community College, Nebraska Indian Community College, and Little Priest Tribal College confirmed multi-million-dollar donations over the past year, while community colleges, including Northern Oklahoma College, Bladen Community College, and Robeson Community College, also reported historic gifts.
The scale of Scott’s giving reflects a broader philanthropic campaign that has accelerated since she signed the Giving Pledge in 2019, committing to donate the majority of her wealth.