HBCU schools are in for a massive upgrade. President Donald Trump’s administration relocated nearly $500 million in additional funding to HBCUs in September last year. Months later, philanthropist MacKenzie Scott has come forward to bolster financial support for Elizabeth City State University with an eight-figure check. 

Scott gifted a whopping $42 million to the school at its 135th Founders Day Convocation. Her donation is reportedly the largest dollar per student enrolled gift that an HBCU school has received from her. The figure is almost triple the $15 million she donated to Elizabeth City State University in 2020.

“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,” University Chancellor S. Keith Hargrove Sr. said at the event. “Her investment affirms what we already know: that institutions like ECSU are powerful catalysts for change.”

Fostering growth in the HBCU circuit seems to be a personal cause for Scott. She has reportedly given away more than one billion dollars in donations to these schools, which have also been the largest figures ever received for some of them. Colleges like Prairie View A&M, Norfolk State University, and many more have had the chance to receive these much-needed funds from her. The largest sum she has ever donated to an HBCU school is $80 million, to Howard Univesity. Giving seems to be a way of life for MacKenzie Scott.

According to Fortune, she has a net worth of $38.9 billion. She received a lot of money in the 4% shares she got from Amazon, after she split from founder Jeff Bezos. Since 2019, Scott has given away more tha $19 billion of her fortune to 2,000+ nonprofits across the globe. And in the past year alone, she donated $7 billion. Yet, she was not included among the Chronicle of Philanthropy’s Top 50 donors of the year. But HBCU schools will be grateful to her, considering the dire situation they are in.

According to a 2022 Forbes analysis, HBCUs in the country were underfunded by more than $12 billion over the last 30 years in comparison to non-HBCUs. It naturally had a grave impact, leading to staff cuts and the elimination of certain programs. NIL opportunities are also not as easily available to HBCU players compared to those in P4 schools.

With the arrival of player-turned-coaches like Michael Vick (Norfolk State) and DeSean Jackson (Delaware State), there has thankfully been an uptick in the attention that HBCU sports get. In the very first year of Jackson’s tenure, Delaware State was able to put together 20 million to build their new field house. The head coach admitted that it was “shaming” to be in a Division 1 school and not being able to”brag” about what they had. Donations like those made by MacKenzie Scott make an immediate impact in avenues like these.

How MacKenzie Scott’s donation helps Elizabeth State

Scott’s donation arrives at a crucial time for the HBCU. The university chancellor said that it is indeed helpful since they are on the verge of implementing their new five-year strategic plan, ASCEND 2030. It will focus on student learning, building innovative academic programs, and creating an energizing and worthwhile campus. and foster partnerships. 

“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.”

The donation will boost the standards of the Elizabeth City State Vikings football team. It is a Division II program that hasn’t seen a lot of success, but the team did relatively well last season, finishing 4-3 in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA). The $42 million could be used to enhance existing facilities, to attract better players, who will in turn generate some much-needed success. This is a groundbreaking moment for Elizabeth City State University, which should see some growth in its football records from now on.