Jeff Bezos' ex-wife, MacKenzie Scott, gave 8-figure donations to 6 different HBCUs for their 'transformative' work against inequality

• In a Medium blog post posted on Tuesday, MacKenzie Scott announced that she is allocating her fortune to causes including racial equality, LGBTQ rights, public health and climate change.
• "Last year I pledged to give the majority of my wealth back to the society that helped generate it, to do it thoughtfully, to get started soon, and to keep at it until the safe is empty," Scott wrote in the post.
• Six HBCUs — Howard University, Hampton University, Spelman College, Tuskegee University, Xavier University of Louisiana, and Morehouse College — publicly announced that they received eight-figure donations from Scott.

MacKenzie Scott, Jeff Bezos' ex-wife, issued eight-figure donations to various historically Black colleges and universities this week.

In a Tuesday blog post on Medium, MacKenzie Scott publicly announced her pledge of $1.7 billion of her fortune to organizations pursuing "transformative" work in causes including racial equality, LGBTQ rights, public health, and climate change, as Insider previously reported.

"Last year I pledged to give the majority of my wealth back to the society that helped generate it, to do it thoughtfully, to get started soon, and to keep at it until the safe is empty," Scott wrote in the blog post.

Six HBCUs were amongst the 116 listed recipients. Most of the presidents of these institutions highlighted that Scott's donations were the largest from a single individual in schools' history.

Howard University

In a Tuesday morning statement, Howard University announced that Scott donated $40 million.

"I would like to thank Ms. Mackenzie Scott for her investment into Howard University and our 153-year mission of serving a diverse community of dynamic scholars who come here for an education and leave here with purpose to serve the world," President Wayne A. I. Frederick said in the statement.

According to Howard University's statement, the donation will be dispersed in four focal areas; "including on-going campus infrastructure improvement projects, such as essential renovations to the steam plant system and updates to improve technology."

Hampton University

According to a Tuesday morning statement, Scott donated $30 million to Hampton University.

"This pure act of benevolence is clearly a game changer and it could not have come at a better time," President Dr. William R. Harvey said in the statement. "I speak for the entire Hampton University community when I say we are grateful to Ms. MacKenzie Scott, who has chosen to support us during this unprecedented period of uncertainty."

The statement reveals that Hampton University plans to use the funds to give scholarships to assist high school students, fund Hampton University Proton Therapy Institute, update campus scientific laboratories, and "further support of the University's technological advances."

Spelman College

On Tuesday, Spelman College also released a statement announcing that the institution was one of the recipients of the large donation. They did not disclose how much they received.

"MacKenzie Scott's gift to 116 organizations breaks new philanthropic ground both in scope and in scale. On behalf of the entire Spelman community, I am honored that Spelman College is among the dozens of institutions who are recipients of her gifts," President Mary Schmidt Campbell said in a statement.

The statement highlights that the college will use the funding towards "the College's goal of supporting scholarly and creative excellence by bolstering its technological infrastructure; developing new sources of revenue; promoting curricular innovations that enhance the competitiveness of Spelman students; and improving academic facilities."

Tuskegee University

Tuskegee University announced that the institution received a whopping $20 million dollar donation from Scott.

"This gift comes at an opportune time for us," President Lily D. McNair said in a statement. "We are about to launch a five-year strategic planning effort and, with this investment from Ms. Scott, we will be able to unfold the next phase of our mission in ways we simply could not have considered before."

According to President McNair, Tuskegee plans to use the generous donation to increase "student access, strengthening signature programs, advancing research and innovation, and preserving the university's legacy," she said.

Xavier University of Louisiana

Xavier University of Louisiana received $20 from Scott's donation, according to a statement released on Tuesday. The institution doesn't list who the donor is, but according to Scott's blog post, the school was one of the recipients of her donations.

"This is a remarkable demonstration of support and encouragement for Xavier and its mission, and a reminder that what we do is important-not only at the University, but also within our global community," President Reynold Verret said in the statement.

President Verret said the donation "will enhance the university's capacity to educate in the medical sciences, pharmacy, law, the arts, and the social sciences."

Morehouse College

On Wednesday, Morehouse College announced that they received $20 million from Scott.

"MacKenzie Scott's beneficent gift to Morehouse and several of our companion institutions in the HBCU network is an investment into the future of Black excellence," President David A. Thomas said in a statement."This gift will help Morehouse to lay the foundation for the campus of the 21st century and continue the important work we do to produce graduates who effect positive change in their communities, the nation, and the world."