The massive donation comes days after the billionaire philanthropist donated a record USD 38 million to a university.
MacKenzie Scott, billionaire philanthropist and ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, has donated USD 80 million (Rs 709 crore) to Howard University, making it one of the largest gifts to a college. Located in Washington, DC, the institute said that the unrestricted donation will support student aid, infrastructure, research initiatives and hospital operations, among other things. Of the USD 80 million, USD 63 million will go to Howard University’s general operations, while USD 17 million will support the school’s College of Medicine.
MacKenzie Scott’s donation to Howard University
This is not the first time that Scott has donated to the university. The 55-year-old had donated money to the university in 2020 and 2023, with amounts of USD 40 million and USD 12 million, respectively. When combined, Scott’s donation to Howard stands at USD 132 million. The USD 80 million donation comes days after the billionaire philanthropist donated a record USD 38 million to Alabama State University (ASU).
Who is MacKenzie Scott?
MacKenzie Scott is a novelist and philanthropist who is known for her benevolent donations. From 1993 to 2019, she was married to Jeff Bezos, the third-richest man in the world with a net worth of USD 274 billion. Scott was an early contributor to Amazon, a company that her ex-husband started.
MacKenzie Scott’s net worth
MacKenzie Scott has a net worth of USD 40.1 billion and holds the 54th rank, as per the Bloomberg Billionaires’ Index. Following her divorce from Bezos, Scott retained approximately 4 per cent of the e-commerce and tech giant Amazon. Since then, Scott has donated approximately USD 19 billion to charity, as per the index. She now holds 81.1 million Amazon shares, down 58 million from a year earlier.
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What Howard University said about the donation
“Howard University has received a transformative $80 million unrestricted gift from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott … one of the single largest contributions in the University’s history,” the institute said. “This historic investment will strengthen student aid, support infrastructure improvements, advance research and health sciences, and sustain our mission of truth and service for generations to come,” it added.
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