Billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott has once again turned her attention toward historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), this time donating $80 million to Howard University, one of the nation’s most prestigious HBCUs.
Howard officials confirmed the multimillion-dollar contribution this week to The Washington Post, describing it as an unrestricted gift. This means the university can allocate the funds as it sees fit.
Interim president Wayne A. I. Frederick called it one of the largest single donations in Howard’s 158-year history. He explained that the money will support efforts to train more medical professionals, upgrade campus facilities, and help offset financial strains caused by the ongoing federal government shutdown.
“Some 80 to 90 percent of the funds that come into the university have a federal source, whether you’re looking at Pell grants or hospital patients with Medicare and Medicaid,” Frederick told The Washington Post. Due to the funding delay, Howard plans to launch a temporary relief program that will allow students with overdue balances to defer payments until spring without incurring penalties.
The donation comes at a critical time for Howard, which was chartered by Congress and receives roughly $55 million in annual federal appropriations—money that’s currently held up due to the shutdown.
According to university officials, $63 million of Scott’s contribution will be distributed across Howard’s entire student body of 13,000, while $17 million will directly benefit the university’s College of Medicine. Applications to the medical program have reportedly hit a record 10,000 for just 125 available seats.
“Ms. Scott’s generosity will have a lasting impact on medical education, research, and health equity,” said Andrea A. Hayes Dixon, dean and senior vice president of the medical school. Howard’s plans include expanding its academic medical center and increasing enrollment in its nursing, dental, medical, and pharmacy programs.
This is not the first time Scott has backed the D.C.-based university. In 2020, she donated $40 million, with portions going toward student scholarships, graduate fellowships, and an endowed chair honoring Toni Morrison, the Nobel Prize-winning author who once mentored Scott while teaching at Princeton.
https://www.complex.com/life/a/bernadette-giacomazzo/mackenzie-scott-gifts-s80m-to-howard-university
