MacKenzie Scott Just Shattered a Giving Record With a New $42 Million Gift to 1 HBCU |
MacKenzie Scott Just Shattered a Giving Record With a New $42 Million Gift to 1 HBCU
Elizabeth City State University ranks among the top HBCUs.
BY MOSES JEANFRANCOIS, NEWS WRITER
MacKenzie Scott. Illustration: Inc; Photo: Getty Images
MacKenzie Scott has made another major move in her philanthropic campaign, donating $42 million to Elizabeth City State University, a historically Black university in North Carolina.
The contribution was announced by ECSU Chancellor S. Keith Hargrove, Sr. during the school’s Founders Day Convocation on Friday. It marks Scott’s second gift to the institution: she donated $15 million in 2020, bringing her total support to $57 million.
According to the university, the latest gift represents the highest dollar amount per enrolled student of any HBCU among Scott’s recent donations. The Elizabeth City, North Carolina institution has just over 2,000 students.
“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.”
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Fueling “ASCEND 2030”
The university plans to use the funding to accelerate ASCEND 2030, its strategic plan focused on expanding scholarship opportunities and strengthening academic, athletic, and residential 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.”
As of fall 2024, ECSU reported 2,155 undergraduate students. The institution consistently ranks among the nation’s top HBCUs, earning placements on multiple top‑20 lists.