Kamal Ghorui
Jeff Bezos’ ex-wife and philanthropist Mackenzie Scott has donated a record-setting ‘gift’ of $42 million to Elizabeth City State University. The announcement was made by the University Chancellor S. Keith Hargrove, Sr. in his keynote address during the school’s Founders Day Convocation, held earlier this month. The gift was the largest dollar per student enrolled gift of any historically black college and university (HBCU) among Scott’s recent gifts, and almost triple what ECSU received from Scott in 2020. “More importantly, it comes at a pivotal time at the university, as ECSU just launched its five-year strategic plan—ASCEND 2030,” the official announcement reads.“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,” said Hargrove, in the university’s announcement. “Her investment affirms what we already know: that institutions like ECSU are powerful catalysts for change.”“Gifts like this do more than provide resources; they accelerate momentum,” Hargrove added. “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.”
Mackenzie Scott donates $7.2 billion in 2025
Scott has emerged as one of the fastest large-scale donors in recent years. Since 2019, she has contributed about $26.4 billion to over 2,500 organisations, after selling a major portion of the Amazon shares she received in her divorce. In 2025 alone, her donations reached $7.2 billion — a figure that exceeds the total lifetime giving of several top billionaires, including Elon Musk, Larry Page, Larry Ellison, and even Bezos.
Elon Musk agreed when Scott’s donations called bad
Earlier this month, Y Combinator CEO Garry Tan shared a post on X (formerly Twitter), calling Mackenzie Scott’s donations ‘bad’. Garry Tan argued that her lack of oversight fosters mismanagement, likening it to “pouring sugar on the floor” that attracts chaos.Tesla CEO Elon Musk seemed to agree who replied to Tan’s post writing “Yup”.
