MacKenzie Scott’s remarkable higher education giving spree is not over. In the past few months, the billionaire philanthropist’s donation total of more than $700 million to several Historically Black Colleges and Universities has become one of higher education’s biggest stories. Now, Scott is broadening her impact beyond HBCUs, with record gifts announced this past week for a community college in Oklahoma and a tiny tribal college in Nebraska.
Northern Oklahoma College
Scott has given $17 million to Northern Oklahoma College, the state’s oldest public two-year college. It’s the largest gift in the institution’s history, dating back to 1901.
Northern Oklahoma College serves about 3,200 students through its main campus in Tonkawa, a branch campus in Enid, and academic programs delivered in Stillwater and Ponca City. About 80% of its students receive financial aid and/or scholarships, and 75% complete their degree with no student loan debt.
“Our tagline at Northern Oklahoma College is Life Changing and this gift is truly that for our students and the communities we serve,” said NOC President Diana Morris, in the college’s press release.
“I cannot possibly adequately articulate my gratitude for Ms. Scott’s vote of confidence in the mission and activities of the college by allowing us to allocate the resources as we believe are in the best interest of the college,” Morris added. “Her donation will assist us as we seek to achieve our vision of serving as a model institution and leader in academic quality and cultural enrichment, promoting student success, collaborative learning, creative and forward thinking, and community responsiveness.”
College officials said the gift would be used to create new scholarships and programs and would allow the institution to more aggressively pursue priorities identified in its 2025 strategic plan.
Little Priest Tribal College
Also last week, it was announced that Scott had donated $5 million to Little Priest Tribal College in Winnebago, Nebraksa. It is the largest donation in the history of the college, which was established by the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska in 1996. The college is named after Chief Little Priest, the last war chief of the Winnebago Tribe.
President Manoj Patil called the gift a “truly historic moment” for the college, which focuses on providing two-year associate degrees and certification programs. With an enrollment of about 250 students, the college also offers HoChunk language and culture classes in addition to training in selected job skills.
“We are deeply grateful to the Mackenzie Scott Foundation for this transformative gift, which will accelerate our plans to develop a new 10-acre campus estimated at $60 million,” Patil said, indicating that the college’s board of trustees had approved committing the entire $5 million to the campus project, expected to begin in 2026. “This investment will not only expand our physical footprint but also empower us to better serve our students, community, and generations to come,” he added.
Scott’s Recent Philanthropy
In recent months, Scott’s higher education donations have favored HBCUs and various nonprofits that promote higher education access and affordability for traditionally underserved students of color. Her philanthropy has supported diversity, equity and inclusion efforts at the very time such initiatives have been under relentless attack from conservative politicians at both the state and federal levels.
In addition to her HBCU gifts, she has given $70 million to the United Negro College Fund, $10 million to the George M. Pullman Educational Foundation a nonprofit dedicated to advancing access to higher education for students in the Chicago area, $42 million to 10,000 Degrees, the California-based college success organization, and $50 million to the Native Forward Scholars Fund, the largest direct provider of college scholarships for Native students. In 2020, Scott gave the organization — then called the American Indian Graduate Center — a $20 million unrestricted donation.
It’s not clear whether these latest gifts will mark another major expansion of her contributions for higher education. Historically, Scott has maintained a very-low key approach to announcing her gifts.
MacKenzie Scott is the ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. Forbes has estimated her net worth at roughly $33 billion, most of which came from her divorce settlement in 2019, when she received a 4% stake in Amazon.
In May 2019, Scott signed the Giving Pledge, promising to give away at least half of her wealth over the course of her lifetime. Her total philanthropic giving now tops $19 billion. Scott’s philosophy of giving allows the nonprofits to which she donates to have full control over how to use her gifts, an unusual characteristic for major private donations.