MacKenzie Scott gives $7.1B to nonprofits in 2025
Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott announced Tuesday that she has donated $7.1 billion to nonprofits so far in 2025 via her Yield Giving platform, bringing her total giving since 2019 to $26.3 billion. The largely unrestricted gifts include at least $783 million to HBCUs this year—with individual awards such as $63 million to Prairie View A&M, $50 million to Norfolk State and Bowie State, $25 million to Lincoln University of Pennsylvania—plus $70 million to UNCF for a collective HBCU endowment and $50 million to the Native Forward Scholars Fund.
📌 Key Facts
- $7.1 billion donated by Scott in 2025; $26.3 billion total since 2019
- HBCUs have received about $783 million in 2025; $1.35 billion since 2020 (per Rutgers’ Marybeth Gasman)
- Named 2025 recipients include Prairie View A&M ($63M), Norfolk State ($50M), Bowie State ($50M), Lincoln University of Pennsylvania ($25M), UNCF ($70M), Native Forward Scholars Fund ($50M)
- Scott’s gifts are unrestricted and typically require no applications or reports
- Median Scott grant is roughly $5 million (Center for Effective Philanthropy); Forbes pegs her net worth at ~$33 billion
📊 Relevant Data
In 2024, 34% of Black Americans hold an associate's degree or higher, compared to 46% of the general US population; Black Americans constitute approximately 13.6% of the US population.
Race-Conscious Admissions and Black Students: The Past, Present, and Future — National College Attainment Network
In 2024, 16.8% of American Indian or Alaska Native residents aged 25 or over had earned a bachelor's degree or higher; American Indian or Alaska Native individuals make up about 1.2% of the US population.
Native American Students in Higher Education — Postsecondary National Policy Institute
Public HBCUs average $7,265 in endowment per student, compared with $25,390 at public predominantly White institutions (PWIs).
The Fight for Funding Equity for HBCUs — Insight Into Academia
Following the Supreme Court ban on affirmative action, Black student enrollment at Harvard University decreased from 18% in 2023 to 11.5% in 2025.
Black enrollment waning at elite colleges after affirmative action ban, AP analysis finds — Los Angeles Times
The difference in standardized test scores between White and Black students amounts to roughly two years of schooling.
What Explains White-Black Differences in Average Test Scores? — Educational Opportunity Project at Stanford University