Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, one of the world’s richest women, has given another round of transformative grants to higher education, continuing a giving campaign that has supported research universities, HBCUs and community colleges.
For many colleges and universities, this week’s gifts were the largest in their history.
The University of Illinois at Chicago, for example, will use the grant to create a Student Success Fund that will support graduation initiatives, living-learning communities, internships and students’ basic needs.
“Ms. Scott’s extremely generous donation will advance the lives of students who are poised to make great contributions to our city, our state and our world,” Chancellor Michael D. Amiridis said in a statement. “Her gift is a vote of confidence in the mission of public higher education and in UIC.”
Amarillo College, a two-year school in Texas, received a record $15 million grant that may help bolster the institution’s endowment, President Russell Lowery-Hart said.
“The majority of our students —working women of color with children—live in the war zone of poverty and just need a college and community to systemically love them to success,” Lowery-Hart said “This gift will ensure that Amarillo College can freely continue to reimagine education and remove even more barriers for students.”
Scott on Tuesday announced $2.7 billion in gifts to 286 high-impact organizations “in categories and communities that have been historically underfunded and overlooked,” she wrote in a blog post on Medium.
“Higher education is a proven pathway to opportunity, so we looked for 2- and 4-year institutions successfully educating students who come from communities that have been chronically underserved,” Scott wrote.
The largest gift in UCF’s history will fuel social mobility, student success, academic excellence & faculty research for generations to come????
Philanthropists @mackenziescott & Dan Jewett announced a $40 million investment to strengthen proven pathways to opportunity.
— UCF (@UCF) June 15, 2021
Other colleges and universities receiving gifts:
- Brazosport College (Texas)*
- Broward College: $30 Million
- Cal Poly Pomona: $40 million
- California State University Channel Islands: $15 million
- California State University, Fullerton: $40 million
- California State University, Northridge: $40 million
- Chaffey College (California): $25 million
- College of the Desert (California)
- CUNY Hostos Community College
- El Paso Community College
- Florida International University: $40 million
- Kennedy-King College (Chicago)
- Lee College (Texas): $5 million
- Long Beach City College: $30 million
- Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College
- Odessa College
- Pasadena City College: $30 million
- Porterville College (California): $7 million
- Renton Technical College (Washington): $5 million
- Santa Barbara City College: $20 million
- San Antonio College: $15 million
- San Jacinto College (Texas): $30 million
- Southwest Texas Junior College
- University of California, Merced
- University of Central Florida: $40 million
- University of Texas at San Antonio: $40 million
- University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
- West Hills College Lemoore (California)
- William Rainey Harper College (Illinois): $18 million
*Amounts were not available for all institutions
