Two Texas universities receive large donations from MacKenzie Scott

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Two Texas A&M System universities, which predominantly serve students of color, have received multimillion-dollar donations from writer and philanthropist MacKenzie Scott.

Prairie View A&M University, a historically black university, received a $ 50 million grant, and Texas A&M International University in Laredo, which is the leading Hispanic service university, received $ 40 million. Both gifts are the greatest in the history of each university.

Universities can use the money for whatever they want. At Prairie View, a historically black university, school leaders have chosen to allocate $ 10 million to juniors and seniors who had faced financial challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The rest of the money will go to other university initiatives, such as teacher development and selection, academic improvements and scholarships.

“This is a historic gift for Prairie View, at a time when the University had already decided and was beginning to invest heavily in key areas to strengthen its academic programs and improve student success,” said President Ruth Simmons in a statement. “So the timing of this gift couldn’t be better.”

In a statement, Texas A&M International leaders said they are still creating a plan to maximize the gift.

“In the new year, we will convene to draw a brighter future for TAMIU. In this time of such enormous misfortunes and challenges, we hope that this news will continue to inspire hope and recognition for the power to give and the goodness to change the world, ”said President Pablo Arenaz.

The donation increases Prairie View’s endowment by nearly 40% to nearly $ 130 million, making it one of the largest endowments of any historically black college or university.

Last month, Prairie View received a $ 10 million donation from an anonymous donor to help students affected by the pandemic.

Scott, who is the ex-wife of Amazon CEO and billionaire Jeff Bezos, also donated $ 50 million to Morgan State University, a historically black college in Maryland.

According to an announcement Scott made to Medium, he has donated $ 4 billion over the past four months.

“This pandemic has been a devastating ball in the lives of Americans who are already in trouble,” he wrote. “Economic losses and health outcomes have been worse for women, for people of color and for people living in poverty. In the meantime, it has substantially increased the wealth of billionaires. “

At least four other HBCUs received multimillion-dollar donations from Scott earlier this year.

Three El Paso nonprofits, El Pasoans Fighting Hunger, United Way of El Paso County and the YWCA North Paso region, also receive a total of $ 34 million from Scott, according to El Paso Matters.

Dissemination: Amazon Web Services, Prairie View A&M University and Texas A&M International University have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations, and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters have no role in Tribune journalism. Find a full list here.