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What’s The Science? An Examination Of What HBCUs Are Doing With The Bezos Millions

MacKenzie Scott was married to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos for 25 years before their divorce in 2019. In April of that year, Bezos and Scott reached a settlement in their divorce that gave her a four percent stake in Amazon, valued at $38.3 billion at the time. 

 

She vowed to give billions away–and has. In July and December 2020, Scott announced $5.8 billion in gifts to colleges and various nonprofit and charitable organizations, The Washington Post reported. Of that, $800 million went to institutions of higher education, with Historically Black Colleges and Universities getting substantial amounts. The charitable donations to HBCUs by Scott, who still had a net worth of $27 billion as of December 2022, were doled out in two parts.

So where did the money go? What are the HBCUs doing with the Bezos millions?

In July, MacKenzie Scott Gave $150 million to HBCUs to six schools: Xavier University, Tuskegee University, Hampton University, Spelman College, Morehouse College, and Howard University. Then she donated more to a slew of HBCUs in December.

As we can see, Jeff Bezos’s $100 million gift to many universities in the United States has far-reaching benefits. The funds will help increase access to education for a greater number of students, improve campus infrastructure, and create new economic opportunities for communities. Additionally, the investment will support research and innovation, promoting scientific discoveries and solutions to global challenges. Most importantly, Bezos’s gift will promote social equity by ensuring that more students from underprivileged backgrounds have access to higher education. All in all, this generous contribution has the potential to transform the lives of countless students and communities for the better.

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