MacKenzie Scott's $38 Million Gift to University of Maryland Eastern Shore Marks Historic Investment in HBCU

Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott has donated $38 million to the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, marking the largest single gift in the historically Black university's 135-year history and one of the most significant contributions ever made to a Maryland higher-education institution. The unrestricted donation announced Friday by UMES will allow the school to exercise discretion in how the funds are used. University President Heidi M. Anderson called the gift "nothing short of transformational," saying it would enable the campus to make lasting investments in its students, faculty, and community.

School officials said the funds will be used to expand student scholarships, modernize classrooms, and enhance mental health services. The university also plans to support programs that create jobs and internships and to bolster research in coastal innovation and agricultural development—key industries on Maryland's Eastern Shore. Jay A. Perman, chancellor of the University System of Maryland, said the donation would ripple beyond the campus itself. "The university's impact on the Eastern Shore will grow significantly," he said. "This support will deepen UMES's role in economic development and community partnerships across the region."

The $38 million gift follows a $20 million donation Scott made to UMES in 2020, which at the time was also the largest in the school's history. Her total giving to the institution now stands at $58 million. Combined with her recent $63 million donation to Morgan State University—another historically Black university in Maryland—Scott has given more than $200 million to the state's HBCUs. Scott, an author and philanthropist, gained global attention after her 2019 divorce from Amazon.com Inc. founder Jeff Bezos, which left her with a roughly 4% stake in the online retail company.

In a 2019 essay announcing her commitment to philanthropy, Scott pledged to give away the majority of her wealth "back to the society that helped generate it." She wrote that she intended "to do it thoughtfully, to get started soon, and to keep at it until the safe is empty." Scott has since distributed billions of dollars to nonprofit organizations, colleges, and advocacy groups, often focusing on efforts to reduce inequities in education, health care, and economic opportunity. Her gifts are typically unrestricted, allowing recipients to determine how best to use the funds—a hallmark of her approach to philanthropy.

Last month, Scott donated $70 million to the United Negro College Fund, the nation's largest private scholarship provider for students at historically Black colleges and universities. For UMES, a campus of about 3,000 students in Princess Anne, Md., the latest gift underscores a growing recognition of the role HBCUs play in expanding access to higher education and promoting regional economic growth. As Anderson put it, "This is not just a gift to UMES—it's an investment in our future."