—Kerry Hill, B1Daily

There are moments when “thank you” feels almost too small.

MacKenzie Scott has quietly become one of the most consequential private supporters of historically Black colleges and universities in modern American history. While corporations and wealthy donors routinely issue statements about equality and opportunity, Scott has done something far more tangible: she has written the checks, trusted Black institutions with the money, and largely stepped out of their way.

Her support for HBCUs has now surpassed $1 billion. In 2025 alone, Scott donated roughly $783 million to HBCUs, part of $7.1 billion she gave to nonprofits that year. Since 2019, her overall charitable giving has reached approximately $26.3 billion.

The individual gifts are staggering.

Morgan State University received $63 million in 2025, bringing Scott’s total support for the university to $103 million. Howard University received another $80 million, bringing Scott’s recent contributions there to $132 million. Spelman College received $38 million after an earlier $20 million gift.

Prairie View A&M and North Carolina A&T each received $63 million in another round of gifts, while Bowie State, Virginia State, Winston-Salem State, Alabama State, Alcorn State and numerous other Black institutions have received enormous contributions.

But the most remarkable part may be how Scott gives.

Many of her donations are unrestricted. Instead of arriving with a billionaire’s instruction manual attached, the money frequently comes with extraordinary freedom for university leaders to decide what their institutions actually need.

That can mean scholarships.

It can mean stronger endowments.

It can mean new research facilities, technology, professors or financial assistance for students.

At Morgan State, for example, university leadership said Scott’s support could strengthen the endowment, support financially vulnerable students, create endowed faculty positions and expand research. At Spelman, her latest contribution is helping expand financial aid and modernize technology.

That philosophy communicates something deeper than generosity: trust.

HBCUs have spent generations producing doctors, lawyers, teachers, engineers, entrepreneurs, artists and political leaders while frequently operating with far fewer financial resources than America’s wealthiest universities. Scott’s philanthropy does not treat these institutions as charity cases. It treats them as investments worth making.

And that distinction deserves recognition.

Black institutions do not simply need another round of speeches about diversity. They need capital. They need endowments capable of generating income for generations. They need scholarships that prevent talented students from abandoning college because tuition came due. They need laboratories, technology, faculty and financial breathing room.

MacKenzie Scott has repeatedly provided exactly that.

No philanthropist should be expected to solve the structural inequalities facing Black America alone, nor can private donations substitute for fair public funding. But when someone voluntarily directs more than a billion dollars toward institutions that have historically been underfunded, Black America should be willing to acknowledge it.

So this is simply a salute.

Thank you, MacKenzie Scott.

Thank you for seeing value in HBCUs.

Thank you for trusting Black institutional leadership.

Thank you for understanding that education can transform entire family trees.

And most importantly, thank you for putting resources behind that belief.

Long after today’s headlines disappear, students who may never know the full story behind these donations will receive scholarships, conduct research, graduate, build careers and create opportunities for the people coming behind them.

That may ultimately be MacKenzie Scott’s greatest gift: not simply giving Black institutions money, but giving them more freedom to build their own futures.

—Kerry Hill, B1Daily