Howard University has received a historic $80 million unrestricted gift from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, marking one of the most significant donations in the university’s history. This latest contribution brings Scott’s total gifts to Howard to $132 million, following earlier donations of $40 million in 2020 and $12 million in 2023. The new investment will support both Howard University and the Howard University College of Medicine, accelerating the institution’s mission to drive research, innovation, and student success.
The unrestricted nature of the gift gives Howard the flexibility to strengthen its academic infrastructure, expand financial aid, and enhance its growing research enterprise. The university has been recognized this year by the Carnegie Foundation and the American Council on Education as an R1 institution, a distinction reserved for universities with the highest levels of research activity. LinkedIn and Forbes named Howard the nation’s top historically Black college or university (HBCU), while U.S. News and World Report ranked several of its programs — including business, computer science, psychology, and law — as the best among HBCUs.
Of the total gift, $17 million is earmarked for the College of Medicine to advance the development of a new Academic Medical Center. The center will expand upon the innovation hub established through Scott’s 2023 donation, designed to unite the College of Medicine and the College of Engineering and Architecture in advancing technologies that improve patient care.
Founded in 1868, Howard’s College of Medicine is the first and oldest medical school at an HBCU and has played a foundational role in the education of Black physicians in the United States. Its faculty and alumni include pioneers such as Dr. Charles Drew, who developed the first mobile blood banks; Dr. LaSalle D. Leffall Jr., the first Black president of the American Cancer Society; and Dr. Clive Callender, founder of the National Minority Organ Tissue Transplant Education Program. Current Dean Dr. Andrea Hayes Dixon — the first Black female pediatric surgeon in the nation — continues that legacy as president of the American Pediatric Surgical Association.
Howard’s student body, celebrated for its excellence and diversity, will also benefit from the gift. About 70% of Howard students have significant financial need, with more than 40% eligible for Pell Grants and one-third being first-generation college students. With recent federal funding reductions, Scott’s unrestricted support will help sustain access for talented students who might otherwise be unable to attend.
Howard’s role in promoting social mobility has been widely recognized. U.S. News named it the top institution in the Washington, D.C. area for social mobility, and Carnegie and ACE placed it among the nation’s leading “Opportunity Colleges and Universities – High Access and High Earnings.” Among R1 institutions, Howard achieved the highest “access” ratio, with graduates earning the highest median salaries eight years post-graduation among all HBCUs.
Beyond financial aid, the gift will bolster Howard’s capital projects and research facilities, enabling advancements in fields such as artificial intelligence, automation, public health, and social progress. Funds will also support new living and learning spaces designed to attract high-performing students and a reserve fund to buffer against disruptions in federal appropriations.
Scott’s connection to Howard runs deeper than philanthropy. Her mentor and thesis adviser at Princeton University was Nobel laureate Toni Morrison, a Howard alumna who later became a faculty member at both Howard and Princeton. Part of Scott’s 2020 gift established the Toni Morrison Endowed Chair in Arts and Humanities at Howard, honoring their enduring relationship.
Scott has shared publicly how Morrison shaped her as a writer and thinker, describing her as both a literary giant and an inspiring teacher. Their mentor-student relationship evolved into a friendship marked by years of correspondence and mutual encouragement. Morrison even provided the recommendation that helped Scott secure the finance job where she met her future husband, Jeff Bezos.
Through this latest gift, Scott continues to honor Morrison’s legacy and strengthen Howard University’s role in cultivating future generations of Black scholars, leaders, and innovators.
KEY QUOTES:
“This writer that I admired so much also turned out to be such a gifted and devoted teacher. She has given me a real example of a life of passionate devotion to more than one calling.”
MacKenzie Scott at the dedication for Princeton’s Morrison Hall
“Your hand is sure, your technical ability sophisticated. Don’t worry about overdoing it at this point. It is so much easier to cut back than to write up.”
Toni Morrison, Nobel Laureate and Former Howard University Faculty Member
