MacKenzie Scott has made a second historic donation to Elizabeth City State University, marking another milestone for the North Carolina Institution.
Scott, the ex-wife of Amazon Founder Jeff Bezos, donated $42 million to ECSU, nearly tripling her initial $15 million donation in 2020. The school’s chancellor, S. Keith Hargrove Sr., remarked on the monumental gift during the university’s Founders Day Convocation.
“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,” Hargrove said in a statement obtained by The Grio.Currently, Elizabeth City State University educates around 2,500 students. Founded in 1891, ESCU initially provided training to aspiring Black teachers in North Carolina. Established as Elizabeth City State Teachers College in 1937, the school adopted its current name in 1969 after introducing graduate programs.
With a focus on instructing students across disciplines
such as education, business, the sciences, and the humanities, ECSU has received a new wave of financial support through Scott’s generous donation. However, Scott’s gift also marks a record per-student donation, aiding in the school’s longevity for the next generation of HBCU scholars.“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.”
The
money will also amplify ESCU’s strategic plan, ASCEND 2030. This new wave of funding will scale ESCU’s resources and opportunities for students taking part in this initiative, particularly through endowed scholarships and renovations of its facilities.Alongside this gift, Scott has been a dynamic game-changer for HBCU investment. Her passionate support of historically Black institutions has sparked a movement for other philanthropists to further invest in these diverse academic hubs.
The Amazon stakeholder had already given over $7 billion in 2025 alone, with over $1 billion given directly to HBCUs. With her promise to give her vast wealth to these underrepresented schools, she also champions their new eras of academic achievement.
RELATED CONTENT: Op-Ed: HBCUs Must Treat Land Like Power